Mae Be, Mae Be Not
by thesmilingpirate
Summary: The Next Generation and others take their turn at Hogwarts, as told by Albus Potter's best friend, Mae Rogers. Eventual AlbusOC, multipleOC pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Ella!" I yelled over the hubbub of the crowd in Platform 9¾.

"Mae! Where are you?" Ella called back, searching for me.

"I'm coming!"

Our shortness, a result of our young age of eleven, was severely hindering our attempts at locating each other. Finally, I saw Ella standing on tiptoe to see over people's heads.

"Ella!" I hurtled toward her and gave her the biggest hug my little arms could manage. "Can you believe it? We're going to Hogwarts!"

"I know!" Ella said, looking behind her at her grinning parents, who were talking amongst themselves. "They're so excited. But," she glanced back again. "Of course, Simone isn't…" Simone, Ella's younger sister, was having a staring contest with the floor.

"I know what you mean; Michael's been the same way," I said, nodding. "Oh well. He'll have his chance. He's done magic before, but by accident, of course. Strange, isn't it, that we both have magic when neither of my parents have it?"

As I spoke, Michael and my parents caught up to me. Soon after the greetings betwixt our families, we had our luggage and our owls loaded on the train.

Suddenly, it was time to say goodbye. I must admit, I cried. Even when I hugged Michael. I hadn't left yet and I was already homesick.

"Write as soon as you know what House you're in," my mum said. "That's why we got you that owl." I nodded and boarded the train with Ella. The Hogwarts Express began to lurch forward, so Ella and I threw ourselves into the nearest compartment to wave goodbye. Once our parents were out of sight, I began to draw back in when Ella grabbed my arm.

"Look," she whispered in an awed voice. My eyes widened as I saw what she meant: Harry Potter, waving right at us as we passed!

"Did you see that?" Ella squealed. Even people like us, who weren't born yet when it happened, knew who he was. Harry Potter had defeated Voldemort when he was seventeen and saved the wizarding world.

"He waved at us!"

"He did not!" an indignant voice next to us said. We turned and saw a boy perhaps our age with messy black hair and green eyes. "He was waving at _me_. That's my dad," the boy said proudly.

My eyes widened more. "You look just like him," I said.

"I know," said the boy, pleased. "My name is Albus. Albus Potter." He extended his hand, which I shook.

"I'm Mae Rogers. Pleased to meet you."

"I'm Ella Martinelli," Ella said. "Are you a first year, too?"

"Yeah," Albus answered. "You can sit here if you want. I don't know anyone besides my brother James and my cousin Rose, but they left so these seats aren't taken."

"Thanks," I said, making myself comfortable.

After a moment, he added, "James is a second year. He's a Gryffindor, like my mum and dad."

I could tell he hadn't brought that up just for something to say. "Do you want to be in Gryffindor?" I asked.

"Yeah!" he said eagerly, but then amended by saying, "But Dad says he doesn't care what House I'm in."

"I want to be in Gryffindor, but only if you are, too," Ella said to me.

I gasped. "What if we're not in the same House?" I hadn't thought of that before.

Ella shrugged. "Of course we will be." I wasn't so sure.

"You know," Albus said matter-of-factly, "the Sorting Hat takes your opinion into consideration."

"Really?" Ella and I said at the same time.

"How do you know that?" Ella demanded.

"My dad told me. It worked for him," Albus replied, making me feel a lot better.

It was then that we met Albus' older brother, James. He barged in the compartment, saying, "Hey, Al. You settled in all right? Oh, sorry." He just noticed us girls. "Who are they?" he asked Albus.

"We _can_ talk, you know," Ella said fiercely.

"James, this is Ella and Mae," Albus said quickly, not wanting a fight.

"Hey," James said to us, and then turned back to Albus. "I thought I'd tell you that Rose is a few compartments down with her friends, and I already showed you where my compartment is." Albus nodded. "Well, see you at Hogwarts, Al."

As soon as he was gone, Albus told us, "Sorry about that. He thinks he's cool just because he's already been to Hogwarts."

"That's ok," I said.

We spent the rest of the trip talking about what we knew about Hogwarts, eating candy from the trolley, and as we neared the school, changing into our brand new robes. Anticipation gripped my stomach as Ella and I gathered our things and stepped off the train and into a new world.

* * *

We filed into what Professor McGonagall called the Great Hall. It was hard not to stare at the enchanted ceiling and all the people already seated. I felt as if everyone was looking at me. One by one, we were called up to the Sorting Hat. Ella was before Albus and me, and when her name was called, I closed my eyes and hoped she would get a good House.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the Sorting Hat declared after a pause. I opened my eyes and saw Ella walking to the cheering Gryffindor table, smiling shyly.

Soon it was Albus' turn. "GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat said instantly. Albus looked immensely relieved. James clapped him on the back as he sat down.

I held my breath. Finally, my name was called.

"Rogers, Mae."

I seemed to move in slow motion as I went up the steps and sat on the stool.

"Please be Gryffindor," I thought.

I heard the Sorting Hat say to me alone, "Yes… you could be a Ravenclaw, but I think it would be better to put you in GRYFFINDOR!" The last word was the only thing everyone else heard.

I couldn't help smiling to myself as I sat next to Albus and Ella at our table. Ella hugged me and said, "See, I told you we'd be in the same House!"

"I almost went in Ravenclaw," I told her.

"Me too," she said, still smiling.

One of the last people to be called was, "Weasley, Rose."

"That's my cousin!" Albus whispered.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the Sorting Hat cried. Albus cheered louder for her than he had for anyone else.

"Rosie!" he exclaimed, grinning as Rose joined us. "We're both in Gryffindor! I can't wait to tell Mum and Dad!"

"Me neither," Rose said, beaming. She sat on the other side of Albus. "Have you made any friends yet?"

"Yeah," he said, introducing Ella and me.

That's all we had time to say before the Headmistress, Professor McGonagall, stood up. She made the traditional announcements, and then ordered for the start-of-term feast to begin. The four of us chatted away while stuffing our faces. Eventually, the Prefects took us to our common room. It was warm and comfortable. Ella and I raced upstairs to see our dormitory. Ella's bed was to the left and Rose's was to the right of mine. Feeling drowsy, we changed into pajamas and talked quietly until we drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Well, here's my first chapter! Don't worry, they all grow up quickly and it gets more interesting, I promise. All _Harry Potter_ characters belong to JK Rowling. All other characters (Ella, Mae, etc.) are mine. Shout out to SailingAwaySoftly, who is a very good friend of mine and the inspiration behind Ella. You should go read her stories, too!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Besides learning about our school and about magic, our first year was spent getting to know Albus, Rose, and the rest of the first year Gryffindors. While we liked Rose, she had other friends that she spent more time with. So, naturally, Ella and I grew close to Albus, and we began calling him Al.

"Did you know," Al said one winter day soon after my twelfth birthday, "that my dad and my Aunt Hermione and my Uncle Ron were all best friends all the way back when they were our age?"

I nodded. "We've heard stories about how the three of them saved Hogwarts every year!"

"Are they true? They're not just stories, are they?" Ella asked, still somewhat awed by Al's family.

"Of course they're true! You can ask any of the teachers who taught here when Dad was a kid, like McGonagall," Al replied.

At the end of the year, Ella hinted that she wanted to meet Mr. Potter. I wanted to meet him, too, but I was too shy to say anything. A week of summer holiday went by, and then I got a letter inviting me to Al's house for a few days. The return address said, "Number 12, Grimmauld Place." I soon found that Ella had also received an invitation.

The next day, we arrived at Al's house. We entered a brightly lit hallway, where we were greeted by Al. My parents were supposed to leave after they discussed my accommodations with the Potters, but I suspected that they wanted to meet Harry, too.

Ella arrived about 30 seconds after I did, also with her parents in tow. Ginny, Al's mum, introduced herself and told Al to show Ella and me where we would be sleeping. He led us upstairs to a clean room with three beds.

As soon as we put our stuff down, Al said excitedly, "Let me show you around!" Every room had a story about it, most of them involving Al's dad. It was all very fascinating. On our tour, we met Al's sweet little sister, Lily, who was younger than us by two years.

Eventually, we went downstairs to the basement kitchen, where Ginny was preparing a rather large supper. Al told us that his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins were visiting, too. "That's why there are three beds in your room- one's for Rose."

Ella and I looked at each other and when Al turned away briefly, we both quietly squealed. "We're going to have so much fun!" Ella whispered excitedly.

At that moment, we heard the loud bang of a door burst open and several voices drifted down to us. "Something smells good!"

Many heavy footsteps approached and the kitchen door opened to reveal the wizarding world's hero: Harry Potter. Ginny greeted him with a kiss as Al muttered to us, "They do that a lot."

"Harry, we've got some friends who'd like to meet you," Ginny said beaming at us.

I think I probably blushed nervously as Harry looked us over. "Dad, this is Ella and Mae, my friends from Hogwarts."

I also think I blushed even more when he shook my hand as if I were a grown-up and not only 12 years old. Ella smiled happily and I smiled shyly, and we both were speechless.

"Hello! It's very nice to meet Al's best mates," he said.

I somehow managed to say, "It's very nice to meet you, too, Mr. Potter."

"Just Harry. Mr. Potter is my name at the Ministry," Harry said, eyes twinkling happily behind his glasses.

Ella and I exchanged a glance that said, "He's letting us call him Harry! Isn't this wonderful?"

Just then Al's uncle and cousin tumbled into the kitchen, with Al's aunt arriving laughingly behind them.

"Boys, behave. We have guests," Ginny jokingly scolded.

"This is Uncle Ron and my cousin Hugo," Al said. "Hugo is the same age as Lily."

"And I'm Hermione," Al's aunt said. "What are your names?"

"I'm Ella Martinelli," Ella said.

"I'm Mae Rogers," I said, still feeling shy and nervous.

However, I relaxed quickly when everyone was talking and all eyes weren't on me. The atmosphere in the whole house was pure happiness with each other's company. Soon more people arrived, and we were introduced to what seemed like Al's entire family.

"But since I'm related to the Weasleys, chances are you'll never meet _everyone_; I mean, _I_ haven't even met some people. Our family's just too big," Al said when I commented on the number of people.

We met a cheery Mrs. Weasley, who gave us both bear hugs and asked if we were hungry, and a grinning Mr. Weasley who chuckled at his wife ("Really, Molly, let them breathe!") and shook our hands. Next was Uncle Bill, Aunt Fleur, and cousin Victoire. The two women were both very beautiful with their flowing silvery-blonde hair and smooth faces that contrasted with Bill's ginger hair and rugged, scarred face. Fleur had a light French accent and carried herself with grace, but she smiled and hugged us as if she knew us. Bill welcomed us to the family. Victoire mostly looked around as if expecting someone else to be there. They joined the hubbub in the kitchen, but Ella and I ran up to our rooms to talk about this new excitement.

"They act like we're family," I said, having been quite surprised by the amount of affection shown to us, considering they had never met us before.

"I know! Don't you love it? I adore big families," Ella said, eyes shining.

"Yeah, it's really nice, I was just wondering why-," I was cut off by Rose entering the room.

"There you are! I was talking to Lily and then I came to find you and I couldn't but now I did!" she said rather quickly. "What are we talking about?"

"Your family," I told her. "They're all so nice!"

"Yes," Rose said. She sat with us on Ella's bed. "I think, after all they went through when they were younger, you know, with Voldemort and everything, that they really value friends. Especially Uncle Harry, since he didn't really have a family. All he had was his friends, and he knows how close friends can be."

I thought about that for a moment. It made sense. "So that means we'll be welcome here like family? Anytime?"

"You basically get adopted once you're friends with a Potter or Weasley," Rose said smiling.

"Teddy's here!" Lily shouted from below.

"Come on! You must meet Teddy!" Rose said, jumping up off the bed.

"Who's Teddy?" I asked as we followed Rose down the steps at a run.

"Uncle Harry's godson," Rose said over her shoulder, and then catapulted into Teddy's arms.

"Hey, Rosie!" Teddy said good-naturedly. He was tall with dark brown hair, warm brown eyes, and a broad smile.

"Teddy! Meet Mae and Ella. They're friends with Al and me."

"Hello, Mae and Ella. Having fun with our mad lot?"

We nodded, laughing. Turning to Rose, he asked, "Is Victoire here yet?"

Rolling her eyes, Rose said, "Yes, Teddy. In the kitchen."

"Thanks," he said, racing downstairs.

"Long story," Rose said.

"We have time," Ella said curiously.

"Well, ok." We went back to our room and were given much information about the family members, including Teddy and Victoire liking each other. But the thing we most wanted to know was answered when Rose told us that just before Teddy's parents were killed, Teddy's father, Remus Lupin, asked Harry to be Teddy's godfather.

"Teddy comes here all the time when we're at school. He's already left Hogwarts, so we don't get to see him much except during holidays."

Soon, we also learned about Rose's Uncle George and how his twin, Fred, was killed in the final battle against Voldemort. "They said the two of them were so funny. They ran the joke shop together, but since Uncle Fred died, Uncle Ron helps him. He's still funny, but it's not the same as it used to be, I'm told. He even named his son Fred."

"Will your Uncle George be visiting today?" I asked.

"I don't know, sometimes he comes, and other times he doesn't. I hope he does, though, he really is funny."

"Food's ready!" Ron bellowed upstairs.

Upon entering the kitchen, we were bombarded by dozens of smells and the sound of 15 people talking and laughing. Over the course of a very delicious meal, we learned how to address everyone. We were told, "Oh no, Mr. Weasley is my dad. It's Uncle Ron to you!" and "You are een zee familee, call me Aunt Fleur!"

I thought I might faint of excitement.

* * *

**All _Harry Potter_ characters belong to JK Rowling. All other characters (aka Ella, Mae, and such) are mine.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Later that evening, we retired to the living room, where much joking ensued. It was fun listening and laughing and occasionally saying a little bit, but mostly I just listened. I was still shy around the people I'd only just met.

It began to get to be near bedtime for us younger ones, and Mrs. Weasley herded us off to our rooms. As we went up the stairs, I saw Victoire and Teddy sneaking outside together. Of course I had to discuss this with Ella and Rose.

"Probably snogging," Rose said, "I've seen them before. Actually, we all have, at some point. They do it all the time. James was the first one to catch them, and when he told us, no one was surprised. It'd be great if they got married. He'd actually be related to us then!"

There was a knock on the door. Rose opened it and let Al in. "Ella, Mae, I want to show you something. Before the adults go to bed," he said, motioning for us to come with him.

"That won't be for awhile…," said Rose, but she came anyway.

"What is it?" Ella asked as we quietly walked up more stairs.

We arrived at a door to a room we hadn't been in before. "This is my parents' room, and before that, it was Sirius's room."

Ella and I exchanged glances before entering. We'd heard all about Sirius Black. He was accused of being a mass murderer for ages until everything was explained after the fall of Voldemort.

The room was tidy, with light blue wallpaper decorated with shiny swirls covering the walls and cream coloured curtains and bed coverings. "The wallpaper covers the posters Sirius put up with a Permanent Sticking Charm. Well, it covers everything but this."

Al pointed to a small framed picture. It showed four teenage boys, which Al explained to be James Potter, who was Al's grandfather, plus Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and Teddy's father Remus Lupin.

"Mum cut a hole in the wallpaper and framed it. Dad was really pleased," Al said, looking intently at the moving photograph.

"It always makes me so sad," Rose said. "They look so happy. None of them knew what would happen to them. Now they're all gone."

"Let's go," I said. "I don't want to get in trouble."

"We won't… well, maybe we would, but let's go anyway," Al said.

We returned to our room and fell asleep to the soothing sounds of drunken laughter.

The next day I was awakened by a loud bang, followed by a lot of yelling from Mrs. Weasley. Rose, Ella, and I all jumped out of bed and raced towards the noise, coming from the front hall. Mrs. Weasley was shouting at a tall ginger-haired man, who was laughing hysterically. The rest of the family soon appeared, some looking confused, others tired, but most were amused.

Mrs. Weasley was roaring, "-going to wake the whole house! Oh, look, now you've done it! You're lucky we got that dreadful screaming portrait out of here or we'd never be able to shut her up! What were you thinking? Never mind, you weren't, of course…"

"Just like old times," Uncle Bill said, grinning as he stepped forward and wrapped the man in a bear hug. "Great to see you, George."

Mr. Weasley was close behind, and Mrs. Weasley's ranting faded until she smiled and hugged her son.

"Uncle George! Uncle George!" Lily and Hugo pushed their way through to their uncle. "We've got new friends to show you!"

George smiled and allowed Lily to tug him by the arm to Ella and me. "Hello, new friends," he said. Somewhere in the back of my mind I thought of what it would be like if there were two of him.

"This is Ella, and this is Mae," Lily said, looking as though she felt very important. George barely had time to shake our hands before Hugo was dragging him off to see something in the room he was sharing with Al.

"Al, girls, why don't you change, and then we'll have some breakfast," Mrs. Weasley said to us.

"What 'screaming portrait' was Mrs. Weasley talking about?" I asked.

"Oh, that," Rose said, waving her hand dismissively, "There's this portrait of Sirius Black's mother that used to hang at the end of the entrance hall, and if you made any noise the curtains flew apart and she'd start screaming about Mudbloods. They couldn't get it off the wall because there was a Permanent Sticking Charm on it. Finally, they just tore down the wall and then rebuilt it."

"Where's the portrait now?" Ella asked.

"In Azkaban, with all her precious 'purebloods' that turned out to be Death Eaters," Al answered.

We dressed quickly and rushed to have a large breakfast with "Uncle George". Rose was right: he was hilarious! Ella laughed so hard pumpkin juice came out of her nose, causing another fit of laughter for everyone else.

The next several days where brimming with amusement and fun. I most enjoyed visiting the Burrow, home of the Weasleys. We passed most of our time playing Quidditch in the backyard. The teams were always James, Ella, and Lily against Al, Hugo, and me. Al had inherited not only Harry's looks, but also Harry's Seeker skills. James was a better Chaser, and so was I. Ella had a dead-on aim when it came to being the Beater, but she much preferred Chasing or Keeping. Lily and Hugo were still learning how to ride a broom, and spent most of the games aimlessly chasing each other until they fell off.

Because we spent so much time together, Rose had become quite good friends with Ella and me. It was fun to talk about girly things late at night, and with another female friend, I still had someone to talk to when Ella had already fallen asleep.

All too soon, we had to go home. Ella and I said goodbye to the Potters and Weasleys, and left the pleasantly noisy house to return to our quiet homes. We owled each other all summer to keep in touch. My poor owl, Layla, became quiet exhausted and had to be given a long holiday from flying.

One morning, I found a letter from Hogwarts waiting for me on the table. It was my second year school list. I owled Al and Ella right away, and by late afternoon we arranged to meet at Diagon Alley the next day.

* * *

**I hope you're enjoying the story so far! Of course, all Harry Potter characters belong to JK Rowling. All other characters (aka Ella, Mae, and such) are mine.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

I woke early, excited to see Al and his family again. My parents and I first went to Ella's house, and then Ella's parents Apparated us to Diagon Alley. Almost right away, I saw the bright red hair of those in the Weasley family. We both rushed over, leaving our parents behind us to walk annoyingly slow.

"Hello, girls," Ginny said warmly. "How was your summer?"

"Really boring after we left your house," Ella answered.

Ginny and Harry laughed. "It was great to have you two, really," Harry said grinning.

"Hey," Al greeted us.

Guess what? Mum's letting me get new books _and_ new robes!" Rose squealed excitedly. "You simply must help me pick them out. It'll be so fun!"

I smiled at her joy, and the three of us left to help Rose choose her new attire. When we returned to the group, who we found piling schoolbooks into their arms, Al was telling his father something. He looked quite shocked as he said, "I think I'm friends with Scorpios Malfoy."

I choked on the chocolate frog I had just been eating. "You're _what?_"

Harry was looking slightly amused and a little surprised, too. "Go ahead, tell them, Al."

Al turned to us. "I was walking to the loo when Scorpios came up to me and said, 'Hello, I'm Scorpios Malfoy.' And then he shook my hand and said, 'I just wanted to say that even though our fathers had differences in their school days, I thought maybe we could put that behind us. What do you say?' All I could do was stand there and nod. Then he sort of… did this jerky head bow thing… and left."

"Well, ok, then," Ella said, looking as if she didn't know what the big deal was.

"What do you think, dad?" Al asked Harry.

Harry pulled Al aside to talk privately. Rose drew attention away from them by saying, "You know, I beat that Scorpios boy in all our tests. My dad told me to, at the train station last year. He says I've got mum's mind."

"You _are_ really clever," Ella agreed. Rose smiled broadly at Ella's compliment.

We finished our shopping and went to our separate homes, delighted to be going back to Hogwarts in a few days. I worried about Al; he still seemed shaken. When I asked if he was alright, he just nodded.

The days dragged on, and eventually it was the first of September, and the beginning of our second year. Ella and I hugged Lily, who pouted at yet again being left behind. We happily boarded the train and waved enthusiastically until the Hogwarts Express turned and we couldn't see our families any longer.

Al leaned back, hands behind his head. He grinned at us. "Second year!"

"I know!" I exclaimed.

"I wonder what we'll learn this year," Rose said.

We put on our robes and soon exited the train. Last year we'd taken a boat to the school, but this year we rode in carriages drawn by thestrals, which we couldn't see. I was relieved that I already knew what House I was in. We watched the first years being sorted. Ella's sister was put into Slytherin.

"I knew it!" Ella exclaimed. "Now she can't annoy us!"

The next few weeks passed in a blur of new learning and excitement that soon dulled. The monotony of the everyday routine was getting to all of us.

"I'm so sick of homework!" Ella growled, frustrated to be doing homework on a Saturday. "Look at all the essays we've got to do!"

"The professors assign essays all the time. It's like they can't think of anything else to do for homework," I said, also annoyed at the homework load.

"Oh, it's not that bad," Rose said cheerily.

Al glared at her. "Then you write them for us," he told her.

"Don't be silly, you have to do your own work. How else will you learn?" Rose replied, not looking up from her parchment.

"Dad always copied your mum's stuff, and look at him! He learned plenty!" Al shot back at her.

"Well, we're not running around fighting Voldemort, are we?" Rose retorted, her turn to glare. "That's how they all _really_ learned. All we've got is the teachers. We'll have to live with it." She turned back to her work.

Al said nothing, knowing she was right.

The highlight of Christmas that year was a huge Holiday Party at Al's house. There was gift-giving, food, music, lots of people, and far too much sugar. We were all terribly hyper. We ran around yelling and at one point, Al and I were under the mistletoe in a doorway. I kissed his nose, laughed, and ran away. Over my shoulder I saw him turn a shade of red to rival his mother's hair.

* * *

**Please review! All Harry Potter characters belong to JK Rowling. All other characters (aka Ella, Mae, and such) are mine.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The rest of second year passed. We grew both in height and in our knowledge of magic. Sometimes, in Transfigurations class, Professor McGonagall would tell of Harry Potter's deeds (with the help of his friends, of course). At this, we'd all listen rapturously, and both Rose and Al would beam.

Sometimes, the Potter and Weasley children were called to the headmistress's office to talk to the portrait of Professor Dumbledore. According to them, he was very nice and that it was a shame we couldn't have met him while he lived.

We spent the summer visiting, and third year couldn't come soon enough. Lily and Hugo were coming to Hogwarts for the first time. Now that they'd seen how much fun we had, they were no longer nervous to go. Of course, they both got sorted into Gryffindor with the rest of us. To James, Al, and Rose's relief, they didn't bother us too much. They made their own friends and saw for themselves the wonder and glory of Hogwarts.

James and Al were both on the Quidditch team. Ella, Rose, Hugo, Lily, and I had a wonderful time losing our voices cheering at the games. We explored Hogwarts by night, just as Al and Rose's parents had done, with the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map, commandeered from James. This wasn't my favourite thing to do, since I was always afraid of getting caught. However, I was more afraid of what I'd miss if I didn't go.

One big event that occurred that year was our first trip to Hogsmede. The trip was scheduled for a few days before Halloween, and it was early October when we saw the notice.

The days grew colder, and as Halloween drew nearer, the castle became overrun with all sorts of decorations, especially in the Great Hall. Plans were made for Halloween parties, and excitement grew with the coming field trip.

The Hogsmede trip finally arrived. We chattered happily on the walk to the town. After stopping for a drink at the Three Broomsticks, the four of us explored the shops. At one point, Ella and Rose got separated from Al and me in the middle of a creepy, Halloween-decorated shop. Halloween had never been my favourite holiday. So when Ella and Rose had gone off to look at something, the shop (which seemed less scary with more people) became quite foreboding. There was a sound behind me, and I spun around, grabbing Al's arm.

"What was that?" I whispered.

"Probably just someone looking for stuff," Al said, looking pleased.

"How do you know?" I asked, pulling out my wand. "It could be anything. Let's leave." I tugged at his arm.

"Alright, alright," Al said as I pulled him along. We turned a corner and bumped into Rose and Ella. I screamed.

"Hush! It's just them," Al said, covering my mouth. "Ow, you hurt my ears," he complained.

"Didn't mean to scare you there, mate," Ella said, laughing.

"Shut it," I grumbled, still jumpy. We left the store and meandered back to Hogwarts. Soon, the ordeal was forgotten.

By fourth year, we were too big to have all four of us under the Cloak at once, and James had reclaimed the Map. Michael was a first year in Gryffindor, and I felt I had to be a good example. That soon wore off as he drifted toward others his age, and I was too busy having fun with my friends to mind my little brother.

My main distraction from my brother and everything else was James. The summer after third year was mostly spent on a holiday to visit my cousins, so I didn't see Al and his family until September 1st, at Platform 9 ¾. Ella and I were chatting when the Potters and Weasleys came into sight. Al and Rose greeted us happily. We all started talking at once, and then… I saw him.

I stopped in the middle of a sentence and stared, wide-eyed and mouth open. It was like a slow-motion button had been pressed. I saw him walk toward us, his hair blowing in the steam from the engine, laughing at something. Next to me, I heard Ella gasp. When I looked at her, I saw (to my relief) that she wasn't looking at James, but at the boy next to him.

"Hot… friend…," she whispered, looking much like I felt. The boy with James had curly, dark brown hair and somewhat of a swagger. I thought he looked rather full of himself, but I quickly turned my attention back to the man of my dreams.

"Remain calm," I told myself. "Act natural."

I turned to Ella and grinned. "Ella, can I talk to you for a moment?" She nodded weakly, and we walked a few paces away.

"Did you see him?" we both asked at the same time. Ella's eyes shown as she added, "Who is that boy with James?"

"Psh, who cares about his friend? Did you not see _James_?" I asked.

"I care," said Ella, put off. "He was hot. He looks familiar, though. Do you think he was here last year?"

"I dunno. I don't pay attention to who's in our House, really. I was too busy with school and, oh, I don't know, _learning magic__!_"

Ginny, who was attempting to flatten Al's hair, called for us to hurry up and get on the train. We hastily said goodbye to our parents and clambered aboard.

"I'll ask who he is for you, ok?" I whispered to Ella. She nodded.

When the four of us settled into our compartment, I casually asked, "So who was that guy with James?"

"Oh, that's Orion Castingson," Rose answered. "He's in our House, in James' year."

"Yeah, he's been to our house a couple of times. You don't… you don't like him, do you?" Al asked.

"Ha! No. I don't even know him," I said. "Why do you care?"

"No reason, it's just that… he's not very nice to me."

"Well, of course not, you're his best friend's little brother," Rose reasoned.

I made an effort to sit by James at the start-of-term feast, but the closest I got was three seats away with Al, Rose, and Orion in between. Ella had more luck; she managed to sit directly across from Orion. I split my attention between staring at James- which was hard since he was on the same side of the table and I had to look around three people- and watching how it was going with Ella. Orion and James hardly glanced in our direction except for the time Orion asked Ella to pass the potatoes (and she drooled for a week afterwards).

Back in the dormitory, Rose turned to us. "Alright, what's going on with you two?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, not meeting her eyes. I busied myself with setting up things on my nightstand.

"Oh, you know what I'm talking about. I saw the way you both were gawking at Orion."

"I wasn't looking at _him,_ I was looking at James," I said, then instantly clapped a hand over my mouth.

"A-ha!" Rose cried, pointing at me in triumph. She smirked. "So it's just Ella that likes Orion."

"Isn't he cute?" Ella gushed, letting it out now that she didn't have to hide it.

Giddy with the excitement of fancying a boy, I suddenly jumped up. "Captain Ella!"

"Yes, First Mate Mae?" she replied, joining in.

"It's time for a plan of action! What say you?"

"Aye!"

"You're both mad. I'm going to bed. We have class tomorrow." Rose pointedly climbed in bed and rolled away from us.

"No matter! Hoist the sails, matey! Onward, to the Sea of Men!" Ella cried.

"Aye, Cap'n!" I yelled, making a mighty fist.

"Now, what shall we do first?"

"Um, I don't know. I've never done this before," I said, becoming serious.

"Me neither."

We sat in silence for a moment before Rose rolled over and said, "If I might make a suggestion, I'd say the first thing to do would be to talk to them."

Ella and I looked at each other as if she'd just revealed a huge secret. I grinned. "We take the plunge together, mate!"

So began "The Epic Quest to Make James and Orion Like Us", as I dubbed it. I tried to make my hair look nice, but it didn't always cooperate. I tried to talk to James, but he didn't really pay me much attention. Nothing seemed to work.

"It's because they think of us as kids," Ella complained after her failed attempts.

"And since James has known me for awhile, it's even worse. He probably still sees me as the eleven-year-old he first met." I pouted.

No matter how much we whined, however, we would not let Rose help. "I know we can do this! We just need more time," I said.

Al, being a boy himself, had no interest in helping either. At one point, when we asked him for advice, he told us to "do your girl stuff without me."

Meanwhile, Rose had quickly (and easily, I might add) become the girlfriend of a boy named Jacob in fourth year Ravenclaw. Needless to say, Ella and I were quite jealous. Poor Rose. In addition to bearing our attitudes, she had to put up with Al and James always asking where she'd been and if Jacob had "tried anything." Rose wrote to her mother to complain, who only said they were behaving just like Rose's father had when his sister dated boys.

One day, sometime after the Christmas holiday, Ella bounded up to me. "You will never guess!" she exclaimed.

"What?" I asked excitedly.

"Just a moment ago, I dropped my books- and not even on purpose this time! And then guess what? Orion helped me pick them up!" She beamed.

"That's fantastic! Then what?"

"Then I came to tell you," she said, smile fading. "Why?"

"Ella!" I sighed, exasperated. "Why didn't you talk to him?"

"I said thank you. Way to ruin the moment, Mae," she said, pouting.

"Sorry, I'm just frustrated. Nothing seems to be working."

Back in the common room, Ella and I were talking when Al plopped into the seat next to me. A piece of parchment fluttered out of his bag as he dumped it on the floor. I bent to pick it up. Thinking nothing of it, I read a few lines of crossed-out text:

Your eyes are

Your laugh is like a tinkling bell

When you're around, I feel

"What is this?" I asked, giggling.

Al snatched it away. "It's nothing," he mumbled, stuffing it in his pocket and looking at the fire.

"Tell me! Do you like someone?" I asked, eyes widening at the thought. "Who is she?"

"No one!" Al shouted. He got up and raced to the boys' dormitory.

"That means 'Yes, I do like someone'," Ella said, grinning.

* * *

**Please review! All Harry Potter characters belong to JK Rowling. All other characters (aka Ella, Mae, and such) are mine.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

No matter how much we badgered him, Al refused to disclose the name of the girl he fancied. Sometimes he'd make it a joke. "That's classified information," he'd laugh. But sometimes he'd become angry and shout, "It's none of your business!"

The whole time, even after we'd batted our eyelashes until we couldn't do it any longer, Orion and James totally ignored us. They were too busy seeing how many girls Orion could snog in one year. Of course, they never even considered Ella as one of his potential snog-ees. That simply encouraged her to try harder.

Because I practically stalked him, I began to realize that James wasn't very nice. He and Orion used the Marauder's Map to track first years they planned to prank, and they were always getting in trouble. I reported this to Ella, but that only made her like Orion more. She thought it was funny, and that it made him "even hotter."

I, on the other hand, decided that even though he was incredibly attractive, I no longer liked James. This occurred on the last night of school, right after the end-of-term feast. I saw him pull a particularly nasty prank on a first year girl. The two boys ran away, laughing hysterically. Feeling sorry for the poor girl, I took her to the Hospital Wing. I was so angry, I resolved that I would never even look at James again.

Ella and I visited Al quite often over the summer holiday. To my relief, James was always off with Orion when we were there. I suspected Al had a hand in separating Ella and me from them. He had said, more than once, that James and Orion weren't good enough for us. I hadn't believed him until I saw proof of it for myself.

"Why doesn't Orion ever come over when we're here?" Ella complained.

"I'm glad," I said, still mad at them. "They're both jerks."

"Since when?" Al asked. He didn't know I'd stopped liking his brother.

"Since I figured out they're mean and cruel to first years," I answered.

"Oh, Mae, it's perfectly harmless," Ella said, waving her hand dismissively.

"Harmless? Every one of their victims has to go to the Hospital Wing, and, most likely, they are mentally scarred for life!"

Ella rolled her eyes in reply.

Fifth year arrived. At the start-of-term feast, Rose, who was sitting by me, leaned over and whispered, "James keeps looking at you like he's wondering why you're not staring at him anymore."

"He'd better get used to it," I whispered back.

"That's just it," Rose replied. "I think he got so used to your attention that now that it's gone, he wants it."

"Well, that's just fantastic," I said, sarcastically. "He only wants what he can't have."

"Sort of like you did?" Rose said, raising an eyebrow. She left it at that.

In the girls' dormitory, Ella exploded. "Did you see how they were swooning over him?"

I knew she was talking about all the girls that were surrounding Orion, laughing at everything he said. One girl even managed to get the seat of honour on his lap.

"Yeah. It's kind of sad, really. Don't they have anything better to do?" I asked rhetorically.

"You're one to talk. That's all you did last year with James," Ella shot at me.

"You did the same thing! But that was when I was young and foolish," I said, shaking my head. "It doesn't matter now."

There were only three differences about fifth year compared to fourth year: I had gotten contact lenses over the summer so I could actually see, we learned loads of new spells almost right away, and James acknowledged my existence. Not that I wanted it anymore, but that's what happened.

Ella continued her quest to become Orion's girlfriend. There was another problem besides the fact that he didn't know who she was, and that was Orion becoming an ever-increasing girl magnet. It gave him even more of a cocky swagger.

One Saturday, after a Quidditch game, Rose, Ella, and I were waiting for Al to return with the team (they were having an after-game talk). The portrait hole opened, and in walked the Gryffindor Quidditch team with Orion in the lead. As he talked, he casually brushed aside his Quidditch robes, revealing that he'd taken off his shirt. There was a gasp from most of the girls in the room, and Orion grinned. "You're welcome, ladies," he said as he pointed both hands at a group of sixth year girls, who all giggled. He then turned and trotted up the boys' dormitory stairs.

Al, who joined us, rolled his eyes. "Git," he muttered under his breath.

"Ok, Ella, I don't like him at all, but I will admit he has nice abs," I said. Ella was still shocked speechless. "Ella? Ella! Breathe!"

"He… he didn't have a shirt on…," Ella said faintly. I fanned her with the parchment I'd been writing on. "Stay with us, Ella!"

"Too late. She's probably already off in her little la-la-land. I definitely do _not_ want to know what she's thinking right now," Rose declared.

Soon afterwards, Rose and I decided to go to the library to get books for homework. Ella was too busy daydreaming to come, and Al was tired after the game. On the way there, James came up behind us.

"Hey, cousin," he said, glancing at me but then turning his attention to Rose. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"I'll meet you there, Mae," Rose told me. I went on ahead, happy to be away from _him_.

Moments later, Rose plopped down next to me at the table I was at. "I do not believe that boy," she said.

"What did he want?" I asked, not really listening as I flipped through a book. "Where do they talk about dragons in this stupid thing?"

"He wanted to know why you don't fancy him anymore," Rose answered.

"What did you say?" My attention was caught.

"I told him to ask you himself."

"What? Why would you say that? I don't want to talk to him!" I was almost yelling. The librarian shushed me.

"Relax," Rose whispered. "He won't do it."

"How do you know?" I snapped.

"I just do."

She was right. James didn't talk to me- he had his best mate do it for him. Several days later, Orion found me in the library. Ella was there, but she was a few sections away. Orion took the opportunity of me being alone.

"Hello, Mae," he said, draping his arm around my shoulders.

"Ugh, get off me," I said, removing his arm and continuing my search for a book on Hippogriffs.

He backed away, raising his hands innocently. "Oh, hey, sorry. A bit irritable, now, are we?"

"What do you want?"

Orion lowered his voice, as if to say something important. "I want to know if you fancy James."

"Why do you care?"

"Why shouldn't I? He's my best mate. Got to watch out for him, don't I?"

"He sent you in here; look, I can see him," I said as I pointed to where James was sitting, near the door, with his back turned.

"Doesn't matter, just tell me!" Orion demanded impatiently.

At that moment, Ella rounded the corner with an armload of books. Upon seeing Orion standing there, she squeaked and almost dropped her books. Orion didn't even spare her a glance. He was staring me down. I stood my ground, arms folded.

Finally, he said, "Well, since you won't tell me willingly, I suppose I'll have to find other means of finding out."

"Whatever," I replied coolly.

"Hi, Orion!" Ella said breathlessly as he walked past her. He winked at her, and she nearly fainted.

I watched Orion, annoyed. "I do not know what you see in him," I said, turning to the bookshelves again.

"I can't believe you talked to him! What did he say?"

"James made his best mate do his dirty work," was all I said. I glanced and saw James look up hopefully, then frown when Orion shrugged. As they walked out, Orion turned around and pointed at me. I made a face at him.

"At least someone likes you," Ella complained.

"Yes, but I don't like him, so it's pointless."

Orion tried to convince me that I did fancy James. Of course, it didn't change my mind. When that didn't work, James himself tried to persuade me to like him. We had done a complete 180.

* * *

The professors warned us to study hard all year so our OWLs would be easier. Rose and I diligently studied and did our homework; Al and Ella mostly copied our work until we wouldn't let them anymore. We were so busy, we barely noticed the changing seasons.

My sixteenth birthday passed, and soon the Christmas holidays arrived. The Holiday Party at Al's house was now a tradition for Ella and me. Al's family was still extraordinarily kind, and we were exclaimed over at how much we were "becoming so grown-up!"

I was having a great time. I was even tolerating James. That is, until he "just so happened" to be in a doorway with mistletoe above it, and I needed to get through.

"Move, James," I said, folding my arms.

"Make me," he teased, not moving. For a split second, in the way he looked at me, I remembered why I had liked him. But it passed as soon as it came.

"Just move!"

"No!"

"Fine, I'll go all the way through the other room. But it would be easier if you would've just moved," I said, turning to go.

Suddenly, he grabbed my arm and pulled me close.

"Let go of me!"

"Mistletoe," he murmured, his lips inches from mine. He would've kissed me if Lily and Hugo hadn't been running around on a sugar high. Lily shoved Hugo, who stumbled into James. The distraction loosened his grip enough for me to pull away. I heard him swearing at his sister and cousin as I ran to find Ella. I could feel my face burning red.

Ella was in the living room, actually having a conversation with Orion! I was so surprised, I almost forgot about "the incident." I decided to leave her alone and searched for Rose instead.

Rose was talking to her uncle, Harry. "Hi, Harry, can I borrow Rose for a second?"

"Yeah, sure," Harry said. He left to join the others in a card game.

When he was out of earshot, I said, "Rose! You will never believe it!"

"What happened? Why is your face so red?" she wanted to know.

I told her the story. "And then, when I went to find Ella, she was talking to Orion! Really talking!"

Rose gasped. "You can't be serious!"

"I'll show you," I said, pulling her along. We hid behind several plants and watched Ella, looking quite marvelous in her holiday dress and deep in conversation.

"What are you doing?"

I yelped. "Al! Don't scare me like that!" I hit him in the arm.

"Ow! Sorry! But what are you doing?"

"We're watching Ella talk to Orion, if you don't mind," I whispered.

"Looks more like spying," Al said, grinning.

"It's a girl thing; you wouldn't understand," Rose told him.

"Hmm. Well, see you later, then."

As we watched, James appeared. "Hide me!" I said, ducking behind Rose. When I peeked again, James and Orion were gone, and Ella was standing there with a huge grin on her face. We popped out and asked her how it went. She promised to tell us later.

That was when Orion reappeared and practically shouted, "You snogged James-y poo?"

"What?" Ella gasped.

"No, I didn't! He _tried_ to snog me. Emphasis on tried," I protested. Then I had to tell Ella the whole story.

When we finally decided to go to bed, Ella made good on her promise and gushed about Orion for the rest of the night. She told us in every detail what they'd talked about.

"We're never going to hear the end of it, are we?" Rose asked me. I shook my head.

On and on Ella talked. She finally finished with, "And, well, that's about when James showed up and stole Orion away, and then you two came out of nowhere."

"'Stole Orion away'?" I asked, grinning.

"Yes, stole him away," Ella said matter-of-factly. "I was slowly inching towards the mistletoe, and I was really close, but then he left."

"Don't look at me like it's my fault!" I told her.

"If you'd have just snogged James, maybe I could've been snogging Orion!"

"Maybe I didn't want that prat taking my first kiss," I shot back. "Or any kiss, for that matter!"

"Alright, fine, you've got a point," said Ella, "but I wanted _my_ first kiss."

* * *

**I hope you've enjoyed the story thus far. Please review! All Harry Potter characters belong to JK Rowling. All other characters (aka Ella, Mae, and such) are mine.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The next morning Al was alone, moodily staring at his cereal, when the three of us girls entered the downstairs kitchen. "Why are you so grumpy? Tomorrow's Christmas Eve! Be excited!" I said enthusiastically.

"Why'd you snog James?" he asked, not looking at me.

I gave a frustrated sigh and said, "I didn't! Why does everyone keep saying I did?"

"You didn't? But Orion said-," Al began, but I cut him off.

"Don't listen to that… that bloody idiot," I told him.

"Blimey, Mae, that's some pretty strong language." Orion had entered the kitchen.

"Shut it," I growled.

"Temper, temper," he said, clicking his tongue.

I ignored him and sat down to my breakfast. Orion felt it necessary to sit by me and act like we were chums. "Get away from me!" I shouted at him when he put an arm around my shoulders.

"You know you like it," he said, smirking.

"Orion…," Al said from across the table, warning in his voice.

"Stay out of this, short one," Orion frowned at Al, but he moved a seat over.

"I'm not short," Al mumbled.

"Yeah, you are."

"Oh, be quiet, you lot," Rose said, gazing sternly at Orion. "We don't need all this bickering."

Ella, who had been watching the back-and-forth banter, took the opportunity of an open seat to place herself between Orion and me. As she did so, she gave me a look that said, "Stay away from my man!"

I gave her a look back that said, "He's _not_ your man, and I don't like him!"

"Hi," Ella said cheerily to Orion.

"Hey," he said, slouching in his chair, looking bored. Unfortunately for Ella, James entered the kitchen and Orion's attention was immediately turned away from her.

Pretending James wasn't there, I started talking to Al. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him occasionally glance nervously in my direction as he conversed with his friend. He appeared to be afraid to talk to me. "Good," I said to myself. "He should be."

The rest of breakfast was spent talking to Al and Rose, and pointedly ignoring Orion and James. I would've talked to Ella, too, but she was too busy hanging on to every word Orion said to James.

Because of this, she could later tell me that James and Orion had, in fact, been talking about me. Again. So I was somewhat prepared when I was alone in our room, packing to go home.

Ella's parents had already taken her home, Al was taking an afternoon nap, and Rose was in the loo. Everyone else was out shopping, eating, or playing a game- every single person was doing something else, somewhere else. I had made Rose stay near me all morning and afternoon, but she eventually had to _go_. James took this short time to practically sneak up behind me as I bent to fold my jeans into my suitcase.

"Mae…"

I gave a small shriek and jumped. I turned to see who it was, holding a hand to my chest as if to calm my suddenly racing heart. "What do you want?" I asked warily when I saw James.

"I want to apologize," he answered, looking appropriately humble.

"Apologize?" I asked, shocked that James would ever want to repent of anything.

James took this to mean I didn't know what he was talking about. "You know, what I… almost did last night?"

I folded my arms. "You _should_ be sorry," I told him. "Now go."

"What?"

"Go away," I said as I pushed him to the door.

Rose entered as James left. "What was that about?" she asked, looking suspicious, curious, and amused all at the same time.

"Oh, he was 'apologizing,' although he never actually said 'I'm sorry,'" I answered.

"Of course not, he's _James_," Rose said, making me laugh.

"I _am_ sorry." James had reappeared.

I gave him a cold look, then went back to packing.

Finally, it was time to go home. I hugged Rose goodbye, and left before James had the chance to talk to me again.

We returned to Hogwarts feeling optimistic about the new year. My resolutions were to get James to leave me alone and to help Ella "win Orion's heart," as she put it. Thankfully, I was not harassed by Orion on the train- he was too busy snogging some Ravenclaw girl. Then Rose and I were busy comforting Ella, who began tearing up when she saw.

"I see the school!" Rose exclaimed. "You'll feel better once we're back."

Ella refused to look in Orion's direction at the feast, and I made it my priority to give him nasty looks, although he probably thought it was because of James.

Classes began again, and I threw myself into my studies. Being in the library quite often was one of my best defenses against James and Orion both, besides being in the girl's dormitory. Ella accompanied me several times to the library. She seemed to give up her stalking technique, especially when she learned Orion couldn't even remember her name. I felt quite awful about this and resolved to do something.

"We've got to make him notice you," I said one day as we studied.

"Huh?" Ella answered, not really listening to me. She was scribbling away in a little book.

"What _are_ you writing?" I asked. She'd gotten the book for Christmas and had been writing in it almost nonstop since.

"Oh, nothing," she answered.

"Right. Well, could you stop writing nothing for a moment? I've got an idea."

"Alright, what is it?" she asked, putting away the book.

"We're going to get you a boyfriend. And then, like I said before, since all guys only want what they can't have, Orion will want you!" I grinned happily at this idea.

"You do that," Ella said, returning to her writing.

"I will," I said, already scanning the library for someone suitable.

* * *

**Please review! All Harry Potter characters belong to JK Rowling. All other characters (aka Ella, Mae, and such) are mine.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"I figured out who you're going to date!" I said excitedly to Ella at dinner. It was two days later, and I'd spotted a boy in our year in Ravenclaw. James Trenton was perfect for Ella, in my opinion.

"What's so great about him?" Ella asked. "I mean, he's sort of hot, but so what?"

"Oh, no, he's not 'hot', he's handsome. And he's a perfect gentleman. He's really smart, and-"

"Sounds like you like him," Ella commented.

"What? Ew, no!" I made a face. "He's just a friend. But I'm going to start making you sound great. I'll let you know how it goes."

The next day, I caught up with James Trenton and casually mentioned Ella. I did this every day for a week, and one day I introduced them. James seemed quite interested in her.

"He's so nice!" Ella said one day at breakfast.

"James? I know!" I answered, proud that I had made such a good choice. "Isn't he great?"

"Well, it sounds like you're finally warming up to me," James Potter said, sitting beside me.

"I wasn't talking about _you_," I said, scowling.

"Of course you were! What other James is there that's worth talking about?" He ate a piece of my toast.

"None of your business."

"Yeah, bugger off. Can't you tell when you're not wanted?" Ella said, glaring at him.

James glared back at her, grinned at me (with a mouthful of toast, I might add), and left.

"Ah, he vexes me so!" I declared, frustrated.

"Reading those Victorian-era novels again, are we?" Ella asked, raising an eyebrow. I stuck my tongue out at her. "Wow, great comeback," she said.

"What are you two immature kids doing now?" Al teased as he sat down with us.

"…said the boy who still reads Muggle comic books," I teased back.

"Hey," he protested, "they're entertaining!"

"Shut it, you lot! I can't hear what James is talking about," Ella said, ear turned toward the Ravenclaw table.

"I don't think us being quiet will make much of a difference," Al said. It was hard to hear the people across from you sometimes, let alone across the Great Hall.

"Admit it, I'm a genius," I told her.

"Psh, I would've seen him eventually," Ella replied. Of course, I should've known she wouldn't give me any credit. Al and I exchanged grins as she leaned way out to listen to James Trenton's conversation.

"Ah!" Ella fell off the bench. Al and I both laughed before I helped her up.

"Are you alright?" I asked, trying to compose myself.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said distractedly. She was looking to see if James had seen. Following her gaze, I saw James looking concerned. She gave him an embarrassed grin, and upon seeing her undamaged, James flashed her a brilliant smile. Since I was still holding her arms from helping her up, I felt Ella almost swoon.

"You need to sit down," I instructed. Then to Al I said, "Am I good, or what?"

As I guessed he would, James asked Ella out that day. "Yay, yay, yay! I'm so excited for you! Which is probably a good thing because you're not excited for you at all," I said, putting my hands on my hips.

We were in the girls' dormitory, getting Ella ready. "Would you relax? It's just a date. We're not even really going anywhere. It's just a picnic."

"Yeah, but it's a romantic picnic, with a really hot guy!" I was delighted. "Perhaps with a guy who actually returns your affection, you will see that Orion is a heartless, cruel person whose only objective in life is to snog the daylights out of any female that moves with no consideration to her feelings."

"He's not heartless and cruel, Mae, he's just a bloke. Some blokes are like that."

"He _is_ heartless! He's a prat, just like James Potter," I informed her. "You shouldn't waste another second of your time on him."

"Hey, this whole make- Orion- jealous thing was your idea," Ella reminded me. "And I can like whoever I want."

"I know. You want to like James Trenton," I said, pretending to hypnotize her.

"You don't need to do that. I already like him. Why else would I have said yes?"

"Um, because that's part of the plan? The plan that I no longer agree with. I say we make a new plan. You date James, forget about Orion, and live happily ever after! Oh, yes, it's brilliant!"

We couldn't see them picnicking from the common room windows, so Rose and I had to wait for Ella to get back to hear the details. I had recently told Rose and Al the news. Naturally, Al didn't really care, except for the fact that one of his best mates was happy. Finally, she returned.

"Gosh, that was the longest Saturday afternoon of my life!" I said as soon as she walked in.

"Really? It went by so fast for me," Ella said breezily.

"You must tell us everything," Rose smiled.

"Well," Ella began, "He was very gentlemanly, like you said, Mae."

"Urgh," Al said, pretending to vomit. "I'm leaving before this gets worse."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Go on, Ella. Tell us how he was a gentleman," she prompted.

"He gave me a flower and kissed my hand," Ella gushed.

"He didn't!"

"He did! And then we had a nice long walk to the far side of the Black Lake, and then we had a picnic. And you'll be so proud, Mae, I didn't stuff my face!"

I laughed. "That's good," I said. "Keep going."

"Hmm, well, we talked about… stuff," Ella said. "And that's all I want to tell you."

"No fair!" I exclaimed.

"He kissed you, didn't he?" Rose asked calmly.

"No, of course not, why would you say that?" Ella answered, but her face gave it away.

"You're blushing! He _did_ kiss you! What was it like?" I squealed.

"It wasn't like a big snogfest or anything, just a peck." She blushed harder.

"On the lips?"

"Yes."

"Eeeeeeee!" I hugged her.

* * *

I could tell James really liked Ella. Indeed, soon they were "official." Although it had been my original plan, I was superbly surprised to see Orion acting as he was supposed to. I hadn't even really believed he would, but there he was, suddenly asking a lot of questions about Ella. Eventually, I thought I saw him look almost longingly at her.

Thankfully, Ella was distracted by her new boyfriend. Still, it was sometimes annoying that she spent quite a lot of her time with him. I was bored and lonely and wishing I had someone special. Rose was still going out with her boyfriend Jacob, who, being in Ravenclaw, was friends with James Trenton. So, of course, they all did things together and had a jolly time and I was left doing my homework with Al.

"Hey, can I read what you put for your introduction on the Potions essay?" I asked him one Saturday. It was exceptionally warm for the beginning of February. A warm front had come in, and no one was wasting it. Al and I sat under a tree, on a patch of dry ground.

"Yeah, sure," he answered, handing his parchment to me.

His almost- finished essay gave me ideas, so I handed it back and began my own. Occasionally, I looked up to give my eyes a rest. I watched Ella, James, Rose, and Jacob all laughing together.

"Hmph. Look at them, all happy and whatnot," I grumbled.

"Well, I, for one, am glad that we don't have to be around them when they go all mushy-gushy. Not pleasant," Al replied, mock scowling.

"Oh, Al, you're so unromantic," I said.

Al didn't reply. He was busy scribbling on a scrap of parchment.

After a moment, I asked, "What are you working on now?"

"Nothing," he said quickly, folding up the parchment and stuffing it in his bag. "Just some… writing." This was highly suspicious.

"Come on, I let you see my writing," I begged, reaching for his bag.

"No," he said, more forcefully than usual. When he saw my taken aback expression, he amended, "It's just a rough draft. You can read it when it's done, alright?"

"Promise?"

"Yes."

"Alright," I said meekly. "What is it, anyway? A story?"

"You'll see."

A quiet moment passed, and then Al said, "You know, I was thinking that maybe if you talked to James- I mean, really talked to him- perhaps he'd leave you alone."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, talk like a mature person, instead of yelling at him. It was just a thought."

"I guess I could try."

So the next time James approached me and made comments about me going out with him, I said, "Look, James. I'm tired of this. You can be a really nice guy sometimes, like when you apologized that one time. That was very nice."

"Then why do you hate me so much?" he asked, looking slightly hurt.

"I don't hate you," I said. "I just don't like you like that."

"You used to," he stated, as if that solved everything.

"Yes, I used to. But I'm allowed to change my mind. And I suggest you change your mind about me and focus on someone else."

James sighed. I felt a little guilty about hurting him, but not that much. "Can we at least be friends?"

"Of course."

"If that makes you happy, then I'm happy too," he said.

Then he rather boldly gave me a hug. After a long moment, I said, "Alright, now you're pushing it."

"Sorry." He stepped back, blushing slightly.

* * *

**Please review! All Harry Potter characters belong to JK Rowling. All other characters (aka Ella, Mae, and such) are mine.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Ella's birthday passed, and right afterwards, rather surprisingly, Ella and James broke up. "I got tired of him being so predictable all the time," she said. I felt awful for James; he had been so happy and now he was really upset.

"Right before Valentine's Day," I said as I mourned their relationship.

Indeed, it was only a week before Valentine's Day and the trip to Hogsmede. When the day came, I linked arms with Ella on one side and Al on the other, and we strolled into town singing songs from that Muggle movie, _The Wizard of Oz_. Although I felt bad for James, I was glad to have Ella back. Rose was with Jacob, but I didn't mind, seeing as it was a day for boyfriends and girlfriends. The only things that put a damper on the day were (a) that I still didn't have a boyfriend and (b) it had snowed again. I was in no mood for the cold, so we went to the Three Broomsticks for a chat and Butterbeer.

We left the warmth to wander the streets, looking at storefronts. Ella pulled out her journal and wrote as we walked. She fell behind, and Al and I walked side by side. I felt a little awkward; I didn't want people thinking we were dating when we weren't. Al didn't seem uncomfortable at all, though.

After awhile, I looked behind us. "Where did Ella go?" I wondered aloud.

"Maybe she wandered back to the Three Broomsticks. Who knows? She was scribbling in her little book. Maybe she took a wrong turn without looking up."

"Hmm. Well, let's go back, I'm cold," I said, my eyes searching for my friend.

On the way back, we passed a little restaurant. Through the window, we saw Rose and Jacob snogging. I blushed, embarrassed to witness such a private moment, even though they were in public. I rushed past. "Hurry up, Al," I called over my shoulder.

"Mae?"

"Yeah?"

"I have something I want to tell you," Al said, stopping.

"Could you tell me inside? The Three Broomsticks is right there," I said, shivering.

"No, I need to tell you now."

I sighed. "Ok, what is it?"

"You remember that thing I was writing a little while ago?"

"Yes. What about it?"

"It's done. I want you to read it."

"Now?"

"Yes," he said, exasperated. "Here."

He handed me the much-folded parchment. I opened and read a lovely little poem. "Wow, Al, this is really good," I said. "Can we _please_ go inside now?"

"I wrote it for you," he said, somewhat shyly. I thought that seemed odd.

"Thanks," I said, looking down at the parchment fluttering in the icy wind.

"So…?"

"'So' what?" I asked, teeth chattering. He was acting really strange and I didn't know why.

"Don't you get it?"

"Get what?"

Al closed his eyes, lifted his face to the sky, and balled his fists. I knew these were some of the things he did when he was frustrated and trying to calm down.

"What are you talking about? Tell me," I said, still confused at his behaviour.

"Mae," Al said, "I'm trying to tell you that I-"

He was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Ella. She was incredibly flushed, and I could tell it wasn't because of the wind and cold.

"Where have you been?" I asked, glad of the break in the tension between us.

"I can't really tell you. You have to read what I wrote," she replied after a pause.

We hurried back into the warm, got more Butterbeer, and Ella handed me her journal. This is what I read:

_2.12, Hogsmeade_

_So, here in Hogsmeade... What's up with this area's fascination with Hogs? I find them quite repulsive actually… _

_Some Seconds Later_

_Al and Mae look to be having fun. Have I ever told you how much I don't care for shopping? Especially on Valentine's Day. Easily the worst day of the year. _

_2.14_

_Not that I have anything against anyone who actually likes Valentine's. But, honestly, if you aren't currently attached, it's the loneliest holiday ever._

_2.15_

_Poor James. I feel a wee bit bad for, you know, breaking up with him. We looked good together and all but he was getting so… predictable. And predictability is not a desirable quality in a man. Well, erm, young man._

_2.16_

_A man would have to be someone like Orion…_

_2.17_

_Is it bad that I still sometimes compare him to Orion? I've heard he's been asking after me ever since I started dating James. _

_2.18_

_Not that it matters to me, you know._

_2.26_

… _Where are Mae and Al? _

_2.28_

_Not over there… _

_A Few Seconds Later_

_Not over here either! Where are they? … They were right in front of me, I'll have you know. It's not my fault they went and got themselves lost!_

_2.35_

_Erm, well… Now I'm by the Shrieking Shack. I'm not sure what brought me here, considering this is where most couples go to have Super Snogfests. _

_Some Seconds Later_

_Of which I do not partake… Seeing as I don't have a boyfriend._

_2.43_

_AHHH!_

_2.44_

_Oh, it's just Orion. What does he want, I wonder?_

_2.57_

_Run away, run away, run away!_

_2.58_

_Must find Mae and Al! This is a desperate situation…_

_2.59_

_I just had a Super Snogfest with Orion Castingson!_

_3.00_

_There they are. Must talk to Mae. Cheers._

"Al, you have to read thi- where'd he go?" I asked, seeing that he was gone.

"He said he was going outside for a second," Ella answered. "But who cares about him? I just snogged ORION!"

"What was it like?"

"Wet and slimy." She paused. "What has he been asking about, anyway?"

"About you? Um… stuff…"

"Mae!"

"Sorry! I don't know, just stuff, like what your favourite things are."

"What'd you say?"

"I told him to ask you."

"Well, he skipped ahead a bit."

"A bit?" I raised my eyebrows.

"It's not my fault," Ella wailed. "I ran away! How stupid was that?"

"Pretty stupid. But I would've run away too."

"But that's what I wanted this whole time! Now I have angst," Ella said, burying her head in her arms.

Al returned then and I handed him Ella's journal. He read with eyebrows raised. Ella lifted her head off the table. "Well?"

"Why did I need to know this?" Al asked, looking disgusted.

"Al," I scolded. "Our friend is in pain. We should comfort her in her time of need." I patted her on the arm.

* * *

Ella and Rose had long gone off to bed. I was too comfortable sitting by the fire and reading my book to get up. Soon, I realized I was the only one still downstairs. That was pretty uncommon. I looked up to see that it was almost midnight. I decided to finish the chapter I was reading and then go to bed.

"Mae? Are you still up?" It was Al.

"Yeah, I'm almost done- what are _you_ doing up?"

"I… I couldn't really sleep," he said.

"Oh," I said, hoping he wouldn't start acting strangely again.

"Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back."

Curious, I finished the chapter and waited. Al came running down the stairs, holding something. "I got this for you," he said.

I opened the box and saw a little red heart-shaped pendant on a gold chain. "Al, you shouldn't have!"

"Well, I planned on getting everyone something, but I didn't bring enough money," he said, looking pleased.

"Why? Was it really expensive or something?"

"No, I just didn't bring enough. That's all."

"Oh. Well, help me put it on," I said, lifting it out and holding my hair out of the way.

As he put it on me, he said, "It has Gryffindor colours, and I just thought you'd like it. Hang on, the clasp thing won't- ok, got it."

"I do like it. Thank you." I gave him a quick hug.

"You're welcome," he said softly.

I felt that tension again. Picking up my book, I said, "Well, I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow."

* * *

**Shout out to my friend, SailingAwaySoftly, who wrote the diary section. Go check out her stories! And I would love it if you reviewed my story! All _Harry Potter_ characters belong to JK Rowling. All other characters (Ella, Mae, etc.) are mine.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The next day at breakfast, Ella slumped down beside me. "I just remembered something about yesterday," she moaned.

"What?"

"He touched my bum."

Al choked on his pumpkin juice.

"You alright, then, Al?" Rose joined us.

I was still staring open-mouthed at Ella. "He _what_?"

"I know. I feel so violated," she said, tipping back pumpkin juice like a drunk.

"Well, yeah," I said, not knowing what else to say.

Awkward silence descended. I saw Orion wink at Ella. She turned red and sank down lower on the bench.

We were leaving our History of Magic class the next day when Ella said, "Oh bugger! There's Orion!"

Suddenly, she was gone. "Ella? Where'd you go?"

"Shh! I'm being stealthy!" Her voice came from behind a pillar.

"Hey Mae, where's Ella?" Orion swaggered up to me.

"I don't know," I said, playing dumb.

"I just saw her," he said, looking over my shoulder.

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did."

"I think you're seeing things," I said, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not! She was just here!" He started to walk towards Ella's hiding spot.

"Oh look! A distraction!" I pointed down the hall. To my surprise, he actually looked. I saw Ella running away out of the corner of my eye.

"Oops, my mistake. There's nothing there, you twit!"

I ran. He swore.

"I'm not covering for you again!" I said when I had found Ella and caught my breath. "I'm horrible at distracting people."

"Well, it worked," Ella pointed out.

"It won't work again."

"It doesn't need to work again," Ella said, suddenly filled with determination. "I'm going to confront him about 'the Shrieking Shack incident.' I'm going to find him and then…," she paused, taking a deep breath, "I'm going to ask him why he felt so inclined to snog the living daylights out of an innocent girl."

"Right. You do that."

"I will."

That evening, I was sitting in the common room when Ella stumbled in, looking dazed. "Looks like it went well," I grinned.

Ella glared in my general direction.

"Hey, you're the one who wanted it…"

"Shut it!"

I giggled. "So what happened?"

"Well there I was, innocently asking him what his motives were, and then he said, 'Is it any wonder?' And I said, 'Yes, because I'm wondering right now,' and he said, 'Have you looked in a mirror lately?' And that was when he started backing me up against the wall, and I had no escape, and he…" She trailed off.

"He snog-attacked you again?" I prompted.

She nodded.

"I don't get you. This is what you wanted almost the whole time we've been at Hogwarts, and now that you've got it, you hate it."

"I didn't want it like this! He wasn't supposed to just jump on me," Ella complained.

"Maybe next time-"

"I don't want a next time!"

"-you won't let him be the one in control," I finished. Ella pondered this for a moment. Then, suddenly cheerful, she bounced up to bed.

"Why was she so happy?" Al asked, coming down the stairs as Ella went up.

"Oh, she snogged Orion again," I replied.

"I thought that made her upset."

"Well, it did, but then she figured out how to use it to her advantage, I guess."

"I see," Al said, though it was clear he didn't.

The following Saturday was a Quidditch match against Ravenclaw. Rose tried to be diplomatic by mostly cheering for her own House, but sometimes she cheered with the Ravenclaws when her boyfriend, Ravenclaw's Keeper, made a good play. I noticed Orion being particularly show-offish. This was quite a feat, since he usually hogged the spotlight anyway, but I sensed he was doing it for Ella.

Gryffindor won, and Ella ran off to congratulate Orion. I waited for Al, who soon emerged from the changing rooms. "Good game," I said, smiling.

"It would've been better if Orion hadn't been doing all those wild moves. He could've let someone else have the Quaffle," Al answered angrily.

"You know how he is. Especially when he knew Ella was watching. Speaking of which…" I spotted Ella through the crowd. What surprised me, though, was that Orion was with her. He had his arm around her shoulders, and she had her arm about his waist. They both wore huge grins.

"Oh my," I said.

Just then, James walked up to me. Al looked darkly at his brother, as if prepared to defend me in a second.

"How did you like the game?" James asked.

"Despite the cold, I had fun," I answered, smiling. It was nice to be able to talk to him civilly, without shouting. "You played really well."

"Thanks. Well, I've got to go. I'll see you around?"

"Yeah."

"What was that?" Al asked when he was gone.

"I took your advice. Remember? You told me to talk to him like a mature person. And it worked," I said as we walked back to the castle.

"Oh. Well, I'm glad to hear that," Al said.

Ella wasn't in the common room like I'd expected. "I just hope Orion doesn't go too far," I said worriedly to Al and Rose.

Finally, Ella and Orion returned. Orion looked like he was about to kiss her, but he saw me watching closely, so he just said goodbye and went to his dormitory. No matter how much I wanted to know what happened, I decided to let Ella tell me without me asking. It was her personal business, anyway.

She did eventually open up. After about half an hour she said, "I can still smell him."

"What?" I asked, looking up from my book.

"Orion. I can still smell him on my robes." She was practically inhaling them.

"Should I be concerned about that?"

"No," Ella said lightly, a faraway look in her eye.

"Ella," I said, drawing her back to planet Earth.

"Oh, Mae, it was wonderful. This time, _I_ snogged _him_!"

"That's… interesting," I said, unsure of what to say.

"Yes, very interesting," Ella said. She left it at that.

* * *

**Please review! All _Harry Potter_ characters belong to JK Rowling. All other characters (Ella, Mae, etc.) are mine.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

It seemed everyone was dating someone, except for Al and me. To console myself one day in early March, I pulled out my photo album. Being Muggle- born, I still got a thrill from seeing photos move. I gazed at the first few pages, remembering past trips to Hogsmede and visits to each other's houses.

My, how small we all were! We'd gotten taller (save for Ella, who was short), different haircuts, glasses, braces, everything. Al resembled his father very closely now. Rose's hair had gotten so long! What in Merlin's name was I wearing?

Oh, look, it's the time we played Quidditch at the Weasley's house and Al fractured his arm when he fell off his broom trying to catch the Snitch. Somehow, he'd still managed to grab it and win us the game. And the time Ella and I performed a skit we wrote. Ah, that was funny. Such good times.

Feeling much better, I went alone to breakfast and ran straight into someone as I turned a corner.

"Sorry, so sorry," the person said as they helped me up. I had fallen backwards on my bum. I looked up into the face of the handsomest being ever to walk the earth.

"Are you alright?" he asked, turning red. I could feel my face doing the very same thing.

"Yes, I'm fine." What is his name? I desperately wanted to ask, but I couldn't bring myself to. He was still holding my arm from helping me up. He realized this and let go, going even redder. The mystery boy nervously ran a hand through his hair.

Come on, you can do this, I coached myself. You've talked to James the Jerk and Orion the Idiot. You surely can talk to whoever this guy is. You know you'll regret it if you don't and he leaves.

"I was just going to breakfast," I said. "Would you care to join me?"

"Oh. Um, sure," the boy said.

"What's your name?" I decided to ask right out.

"William," he answered.

"I'm Mae," I said. "I'm a fifth year in Gryffindor. What about you?"

"Sixth year Ravenclaw."

Hmm. Not much of a talker. At least he agreed to walk with me, I said to myself. His silence was discouraging, however, and I found myself not really knowing what to say.

We arrived at the Great Hall. "I have to go over to the Ravenclaw table now, since I'm a Ravenclaw and I have to sit with other Ravenclaws…" William trailed off.

"Right. I'll see you another time, then, shall I?"

William nodded, turning red again. "'Bye."

I smiled at him, and then we went our separate ways.

Ella managed to tear herself away from Orion to come sit with me. "I saw that," she said matter-of-factly.

"Saw what?" I said, breaking into a grin.

"You were flirting with that bloke," Ella said, pouring herself some pumpkin juice. "What's his name?"

"William. And I wasn't exactly flirting, seeing as he doesn't talk very much."

"Just start at the beginning."

So I told her the whole story. At the end, she said, "I wonder why we haven't seen him around."

"That's what I thought," I said as I scanned the Ravenclaw table. "Look, there he is. You know, when you really look, there are a lot of people we don't know around here. We only notice the louder people." At this, I gave Ella a look.

"Bah, so what if Orion's a bit on the outgoing side?" she said, waving a hand. "Ooh! He sees you! Smile at him!"

"Would you relax?" I asked her, but I smiled anyway. He gave a small smile in return.

"What's going on?" Al asked, leaving his Quidditch teammates and joining us.

"Nothing," Ella said quickly. "See you, Mae. Orion calls."

I needed to know more about William. Since he was in sixth year, I decided to ask James Potter. I was rather shocked to find James that evening in the library. He was sitting at one of the tables, holding up a large book.

"Hello, James. What are you do-" I asked, but was cut off by him yanking me down to hide behind the book with him.

"Shh!" he said. "Listen, I need your help."

"Good, because I was coming to ask you for help, too," I whispered.

"Hold that thought," James said as he looked around the book. "See that girl?"

"Which one?"

"The one with the blonde hair- aren't you friends with her?"

"Well, we're not exactly friends, but I know her," I answered, seeing the girl he was talking about.

"What's her name?"

"Erin. Why, do you like her or something?"

"I don't know, I haven't talked to her yet. I didn't know her name."

"You could've asked her yourself."

"Don't be daft."

"Thanks. See if I ever help you again." I left to leave.

"I'm sorry. Come back and I'll see if I can help you," James said, pulling me down again.

"Why are you hiding, anyway?" I pushed the book down.

"It would be weird if I stared at her- at Erin- outright, wouldn't it?" he asked, putting the book up again.

"Are you scared to talk to her?"

"No!" he said defensively. "Just ask whatever you're going to ask."

I inquired after William, but James wasn't much help. "He's a quiet fellow," was James' reply.

"Yes, I gathered that," I said impatiently. "Anything else?"

"Well, I think Orion and I pranked him once," James said thoughtfully.

"James!"

"What? He's an easy target. Anyway, why don't you talk to him yourself? Or are you scared?" he mocked.

"I already did talk to him, I'll have you know. Now come on, I'll introduce you to Erin."

I won the short argument that followed, and then I basically dragged James to Erin's table. She was alone, fortunately. As I introduced them, I saw William out of the corner of my eye. He was leaving the library.

"I have to go," I told James. "'Bye, Erin."

I walked quickly out of the library and almost ran down the hall to William. I slowed and fell into step with him.

"Hi, William," I said brightly, hoping I didn't sound terribly out of breath. He glanced at me with a sad look clouding his blue-green eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, staring at his feet. After a pause, he asked nervously, "Are you… friends with James Potter?"

I snorted. "Hardly." William looked up at this. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, I just saw you in the library, and…"

"Oh, no, he was just asking me to help set him up with a girl. Nope, I'm a lot closer to his brother, Albus. Al and Rose and Ella are my best friends," I told him.

"Did one of them give you that necklace?"

He'd seen the heart necklace Al had given me. I rarely took it off. However, I didn't think it would be smart to mention that another boy had given it to me, so I just said, "Yes."

"The clasp fell. Here, I'll fix it," he said. I let him move the clasp back up to its place behind my neck. For a moment, his hand rested there. I gave a small and, I hoped, inaudible gasp. He sensed it, however, and quickly dropped his hands to his sides.

"Sorry," he said, going red for the umpteenth time.

"It's quite alright," I whispered, scarcely able to breathe. "It's getting late; I should go," I said after a moment. I turned to leave and head back to the common room.

"Wait!" William called after me when I had almost rounded the corner. I stopped and he caught up with me. "May I walk you to your common room?"

I smiled and said yes. On the way, I had a pleasant conversation with William as I slowly got to know him more. We had a silent mutual agreement to be in no hurry to get to the common room, but it had to happen in the end.

I was just wondering how to speak the password without William hearing when the portrait door swung open and Al emerged. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked, seeing the two of us.

"Oh, no," I said quickly, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. "I was just coming in. Goodnight, William."

"Goodnight," he replied. Then he smiled. A real, genuine smile. And oh, what a smile it was! I felt like swooning.

"Who's this William guy?" Al asked as we climbed into the common room.

"I just met him today. He's very nice."

"Is he in our year?"

"No, he's a year older."

"What house is he in?"

"Ravenclaw. Why all these questions? Hey, Ella!"

"Yes, dearie?" Ella looked up from her journal. Lately, all she ever did was write in there or snog Orion.

"Guess what just happened?" I told her about William. She squealed.

"What's with you lot and dating Ravenclaws?" Al asked.

I blushed. "I'm not dating him, Al, I just met him."

"First Rose dates Jacob, then Ella dates James Trenton, and then you with this William fellow-"

"I'm not dating him!"

"You might as well be! I saw the way you looked at each other," Al said angrily.

This wasn't right. Al and I never fought over anything more serious than the last piece of cake or who got to sit in the comfortable chair. I supposed he was only watching out for me, like he had when Rose first started dating Jacob. "Look, I appreciate your concern, but I'm not going to get hurt or anything-"

Al laughed humourlessly. "It's always about you, isn't it? Did you ever think that maybe I'm talking about someone else's feelings, for once? That maybe someone else would get hurt?"

I was shocked into silence as he stormed up the stairs. My mind filled with questions. What did he mean, 'someone else would get hurt'? After a moment, I looked around as I realized everyone in the common room was silently staring at me. Rose and James seemed as stunned as I was, Ella was gaping, and even Orion looked bewildered. Embarrassed to have all eyes on me, I did the ever- so- mature thing: I ran away to hide in the girls' dormitory.

I closed the curtains around my bed and sank down, shaken. "Mae?" I heard Ella enter. I didn't answer. I thought if I spoke, I'd start crying. "I'm going back downstairs, then," Ella said after pausing.

The longer I thought, the angrier I became at Al. He couldn't tell me who I was allowed to like! And he ruined my excitement. Now I had to go to bed mad at him instead of thinking of William.

* * *

**I would truly appreciate reviews! All Harry Potter characters belong to JK Rowling. All other characters (aka Ella, Mae, and such) are mine.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The next morning, Al didn't eat breakfast with me as I thought he would. He didn't normally hold grudges at all, but if he did, they were short lived. I was ready to forgive him, but it seemed he wasn't ready to be forgiven. I would wait for him to work off his anger. I was sure it wouldn't take long.

I was wrong. He steered clear of me in class and was the first one out the door and the last one in the room, giving me no chance to talk to him. It went on all morning.

William found me in the crowd on the way to lunch. Although he was the reason for Al being mad at me, I was glad to see him.

"Hi," he said, his kind eyes sparkling.

"Hello, William," I said, trying to appear happier.

"You can call me Will, if you want," he said, looking at me sideways.

I nodded.

"Is everything alright?"

"Not exactly. Al and I had a row last night."

"Oh."

"Let's talk about something less depressing. How has your day been?"

Glad to change the topic, Will told me about a particularly funny incident in his Potions class. I was glad to be smiling again, and Will seemed pleased that he was able to make me laugh.

"Why, Mae, you look positively radiant!" Rose exclaimed as I sat down next to Ella.

"What are you going on about?" I asked.

"You're practically glowing! What's made you so happy all of a sudden?"

"Well, I was just talking to Will, and he-"

"Oh, so it's 'Will', now, is it?" I turned to see Al walk by, giving me a look that was a very good imitation of the "Slytherin sneer."

"What is his problem?" I asked, utterly at a loss.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ella asked, as if I should know. "He fa- OUCH!"

Rose kicked Ella in the shin from across the table. "Oops! I'm sorry. Muscle spasm. Now what were you saying?"

Rose gave Ella a meaningful look, which Ella returned with a glare. "I was saying, he, uh, f… forgot that big essay we had due in Ancient Runes, and on top of your row, it's put him in an awful mood."

I nodded, but I didn't believe her. I was sure she was about to say Al fancied me. I very much doubted it. I did know, however, that I had to talk to him. It was dreadful having him so angry at me.

The opportunity came at dusk when I saw him going to the owlry with a letter. By the time I got there, he was already inside. He couldn't leave without me seeing him. I took a deep breath to prepare, and then went inside.

Al was standing at the window, watching his owl fly away. He turned when I came in, furrowed his brow, and went back to looking darkly out the window. He knew he was trapped.

I took a deep breath, then pulled my necklace out from under my shirt collar so he'd know I still wore it. I reached out my hand and set it gently on his shoulder. I was afraid he'd shrug it off, but he didn't. Instead, without looking at me, he reached up and took my hand in both of his- a good sign. For a long time, we stood side-by-side and gazed out the window at the still, snow-covered land.

"I'm sorry," Al said, breaking the silence.

"So am I." I squeezed his hand.

"Does he make you happy?" He meant Will.

"Yes."

"Good. If he ever makes you unhappy, you can tell him he'll have me to answer to," Al said. I could hear the smile in his voice. Sure enough, when I looked he was grinning. I had his approval. I hadn't even known I was trying to get it, but it made me feel so much more at ease.

The next day, Saturday, I went to the library to find something good to read. I was so busy scanning the shelves that I didn't see Will, leaning on the bookcase and waiting to be noticed, until I was a few feet away. In the warmth of the library, he'd taken off his robe and rolled his shirt sleeves up. He looked incredibly dashing.

"Oh, good morning, Will," I smiled.

"You seem happy today," he said.

"I am. Al's not mad at me anymore," I replied, trying to read the titles on the higher shelves.

"This Al seems to have a big impact on your mood," Will said. "You two must be pretty close."

I nodded. Apparently, he expected me to say more. When I didn't, he said, "What I meant to ask was, are you two, you know…?"

"No! No, we're just friends," I said firmly.

"Ah," he said as if he didn't care, but I could see the relief on his face.

I spotted a title that sounded interesting, but even on tiptoe I couldn't reach it. I looked around for something to stand on.

"Let me," Will said. He narrowed the gap of space between us and reached up. He smelled of mint. Lovely. He looked up to see the book he was getting, but as soon as he had a hold on it, he turned his gaze on me and held it there for who knew how long. I could've stayed like that forever.

After awhile, Will cleared his throat. "Here," he said, handing me the book.

"Thank you," I said, blushing.

"Would you… would you like to go for a walk?"

* * *

**Please review! Of course, all _Harry Potter_ characters belong to J. K. Rowling. All other characters (aka Mae, Ella, etc.) are mine.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

It was warm and sunny, and I was happy to see the snow beginning to melt. But then again, everything seemed more beautiful than usual because I was walking with a most attractive young man who seemed to like me, too.

We passed the Quidditch pitch, where the Ravenclaw team was finishing an early morning practise. A few of them waved at Will and then nudged each other.

"What was that about?" I asked Will.

"Nothing," he said, although he was smiling knowingly.

"Come on," I said, "tell me why your friends were pointing and staring at me like that."

"They weren't staring at you," he said. I raised my eyebrows. "Alright, they probably were."

"Why?"

"Because…," he paused, "I might have mentioned you a little bit." He became immensely interested in his shoes.

He told his friends about me, I thought to myself. This has _got_ to prove he likes me!

"Are you angry?"

"No, why would I be? Will, you have to stop worrying so much about what I think," I said, exasperated.

"Yes, mademoiselle," Will said, bowing.

"Thank you." I walked back towards the castle, leaving him behind. He was forced to run to catch up.

We were nearing the end of our walk and I didn't want to go, so I thought of a reason to still talk to him. "Do you think you could help me with my Defense Against the Dark Arts homework? Since you had it last year and everything…"

"I'd be happy to help," Will said enthusiastically.

I raced up the stairs to the dormitory, shoving my things in my bag. Once I had everything, I slowed down. I wanted to keep him waiting a bit, so as not to seem too eager, yet not too long or else he might leave. I came down the stairs, trying to catch my breath.

"Where are you off to?" Ella asked as she came into the common room, Orion following rather closely behind. Ella's normally tame dark brown curls were a ruffled mess.

"I've got a study date with Will," I said, grinning. I noted that Orion didn't even look at me; he was staring at Ella as if he'd never seen a female before.

"Well, have fun," she said, trying to talk to me around Orion, who was practically knocking her over in his rush to her mouth. She finally succumbed to his not-so-subtle advances. I wrinkled my nose and left as fast as possible.

Will was waiting at a table near the back, nervously tapping his foot, which he stopped doing the second he saw me. That brilliant smile was back. "Here's what we're doing," I told him, sitting down.

He scooted his chair closer, as if to see better, but I suspected he wanted to be closer to me. "Ah, yes, I remember this," Will said. He went on to explain things I knew perfectly well, but I pretended to only just now understand. I felt a little guilty about this form of lying. However, we soon were talking about things that had nothing to do with Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Eventually we came back to the subject of the boys on the Ravenclaw team pointing at us. After some gentle yet persistent prying, Will told me, "I told them I met a girl in Gryffindor, and then they all went completely mad."

"Why?"

"Because they thought you were my girlfriend," he mumbled.

"Why would they be surprised about that?"

"Well, because… because I've never had a girlfriend before."

"_You've_ never had a girlfriend?" I asked in disbelief.

"I've just never met the right girl before," he said, colouring and glancing at me. "But while we're on the subject, how many blokes have you dated?"

"I don't recall being on that particular subject," I said, feeling myself turn pink. I turned away slightly and let a curtain of my wavy brown hide my face.

"Well, now we are on that subject. Are you going to answer?"

I sighed in defeat, then turned and looked him in the eye. "None."

"Really? Now _that_ I find hard to believe," Will said, appearing to think I was lying.

"Why is that hard to believe?"

"I expected you to say loads of them beg you to go out with them," he said.

We sat still for a moment. He was close enough to kiss me if he wanted. Although I'd only known him for three days, I wouldn't have protested if he did. And for a moment, I thought he would.

Of course he didn't, but he did say, "We ought to get back to your homework."

"No, that's ok. I think I can take it from here."

I practically floated to lunch. I was happier than I'd been in a long time. I couldn't believe I'd just spent all morning with a handsome 17-year-old sixth year Ravenclaw boy who was funny, charming, and sweet.

On Sunday, I walked to breakfast with my friends. Rose and I were in front, talking about our grades on a Potions exam, Al and James were arguing behind us like the brothers they were, and Ella and Orion came last, holding hands.

"Mae!" I heard a voice say. I turned to see Will jogging after us.

"You go ahead," I told Rose, "I'll catch up in a minute." Rose grinned and squeezed my hand good luck.

"Good morning," I said brightly.

"I've been waiting for you for ages! Why do you come to breakfast so late?"

"I would have been here earlier, but I had to come with the gang," I told him, blushing at the fact that he was actually waiting for me.

"Well, anyway, I have a surprise for you. Close your eyes," Will said, taking my hand.

I didn't know what he was going to do, so I just closed my eyes and felt him lead me away from the Great Hall. When I felt us go outside, I asked, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

I was tempted to peek, but I didn't. Finally, we stopped and he said I could open my eyes. We were near the Black Lake, a little farther from the castle than I expected. There was a great boulder, and at its foot was a blanket. On the blanket was a huge amount of various breakfast foods.

"Shall we dine?" he asked, handing me a plate.

The day was chilly, but the sun and the company warmed me. After we'd eaten our fill, we talked for a long, long time. Neither of us wanted to return to the castle, but eventually we did. The walk back was in comfortable silence. Will's hand brushed mine, and then he took it. I smiled.

We started talking once we got closer to the castle. At one point, in an empty hall with windows overlooking the lake, Will stopped. "Mae," he said, making me stop, too. I leaned against the cool stone wall.

I was about to ask him what he was going to say when he raised his hand and brushed my cheek. My stomach exploded into butterflies. He came closer, and closer, and closer. I stared up at him, knowing what would happen and being both excited and afraid.

Oh, his eyes were so lovely, his jaw so strong, his lips… soft as they touched mine. His hand was on the back of my neck, exactly where he'd touched when he fixed my necklace. I was in heaven.

He pulled away after a moment, and we both grinned like asylum patients. Another quick peck and we were on our way, strolling merrily along.

* * *

**Please review and tell me what you think! All _Harry Potter_ characters belong to JK Rowling. All other characters (Ella, Mae, etc.) are mine.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"Where were you? Did you two snog in a broom closet?" Ella demanded to know as I entered the common room.

"Well, yes and no…," I said after internally debating how much to reveal.

"Wait, you actually _snogged_ him? It's about time, I say!"

"Snog? Ickle little Mae-zie snogged someone?" Orion asked obnoxiously.

I blushed. "I'm older than Ella, you know. You can't call me little."

"I can calls you whatever I wants. Speaking of snogging, love…," he pulled Ella to him.

"I'm definitely leaving," I said, making a face.

Lying on my bed, I replayed the kiss in my mind, as many girls do after such an event. I couldn't get over just how amazingly attractive Will was. I fancied him, no surprise there, but that such a boy would fancy me? I then mulled over the question of whether anyone, besides Orion, had ever snogged someone within four days of knowing them.

Later that day I ran into James. He thanked me for forcing him to talk to Erin the day I'd met Will. Apparently he'd asked her out, and she'd said yes. I smiled, happy to hear it.

* * *

Ella and Orion, James and Erin, Rose and Jacob, Will and I… only Al was left. I wondered if he felt excluded. I decided to inquire as to any girl who maybe fancied my friend. It turned out that quite a few girls did, but none of them were bold enough to do anything. They asked me to help. I gave them a few tips, and soon girls walked up to Al in the halls.

On one such occasion, Al and I were walking alone together. It was one of the rare times I wasn't with Will or Ella or Rose, too. Three girls I had spoken to previously approached us. They were Gryffindors, a year younger than us, and very pretty. The girl in the middle smiled at me knowingly, and I nodded, excusing myself.

"Wait, Mae," Al called somewhat desperately after me.

"Sorry, I have a… thing… to do," I called over my shoulder.

It was rather late when the girls released Al from their grip. He came into the common room, the girls chatting noisily behind him. He glared at me, then took his leave to the boys' dormitory.

The girls, whose names were Claire, Kate, and Sophie, flocked to me instead. As they sat down around me, I asked how it went.

"He didn't really talk much," Claire said, frowning.

"Yeah, even when we talked about Quidditch," Sophie added, wrinkling her nose. She wasn't much of a fan, I took it.

"I don't think he liked us," Kate said woefully. "He seemed anxious to get back here."

"I think he wanted to get back to a certain someone," Claire glanced up at me.

I ignored this bit. "Maybe if you didn't all talk to him at once… That may have made him uncomfortable. You should try going alone."

The girls exchanged glances. "I don't know…," Sophie said. "We're not very good at talking to boys."

"Well, I'm sure it would be more effective," I told them.

"I'll do it," Claire said abruptly.

I smiled at her. "Good. Now I'm going to bed. See you lot later."

The next day was April Fool's Day. This was Orion and James' favourite holiday, and all day they were pulling enormous pranks on everyone. Everyone, that is, except Ella, Erin, and I. They left their girlfriends alone for obvious reasons, and Ella threatened Orion with no more snogs if they did anything to me. I much appreciated it.

On the second day of April, Claire reported that she spoke to Al by herself, and it had gone better. "Just like you told me it would," she beamed.

April fourth was a Saturday, and that was the day Al told me he was going to ask Claire out. I squealed and hugged him, then pushed him toward Claire. Then I hurried away to observe at a distance. She said yes, of course.

After that, I saw considerably less of Al, as he was always with Claire and I was frequently with Will. But Rose, Ella, Al, and I made sure to spend time with each other.

On one such occasion, Ella came in from her "quality time" with Orion, which had mostly consisted of watching him practise at the Quidditch pitch. Al was still practicing, but Rose and I were in the common room, waiting for Ella so we could have what the males called "girlie-time."

I sensed something was off. "Ella, are you ok?"

She nodded. I waited, then asked, "Are you sure?"

"No," she said.

"Well, what's wrong?"

"I can't tell you. I have to write it," she told me as she pulled out her journal. She scribbled something, then showed me. We passed it back and forth between the three of us. This is what was said:

I was out in the stands, watching Quidditch practise, right?

_Yeah. So?_

So, it was all fine until Orion…

_What did he do?_

_Did he take his robes off again? What a-_

Yes, Rose, he did.

_Oh, great._

Would you stop taking this away? I'm trying to tell you what happened!

_Sorry._

As I was saying, he took his robes off and, as you might have guessed, he flew around showing off his magnificent abs…

_Ew._

_I must have a chat with that boy. He's probably scarred you for life, and just when the wound was healing from the other time…_

No! I like his abs! You should have seen them, Mae, then you wouldn't be saying ew. They were… wow.

_Again, ew. Because it's Orion. Gross!_

Not ew! They were better than last time. And he was all tanned and sweaty-

_STOP!_

_Really, now you're scarring us for life._

Sorry. Actually, no, I'm not. So, ha!

_Right. So did anything else happen?_

Yes, as it were.

_Care to elaborate? Well, actually, I'm not sure I want to know…_

I'm telling… er, writing it anyway. So I was watching-

_And probably drooling-_

Shut it. Right, so I was watching and then Orion told James he was taking a break and he came over to me and-

_You snogged?_

Well, yes.

_What are we going to do with you, Ella?_

_Is that it, then?_

Well…

_Oh Merlin. What did you do?_

**We had an amazing snog, ickle little Mae-zie.**

_Orion! Go away!_

**No! We snogged in the locker rooms. Alone. And-**

Ha! I got it back-

_Orion, I demand that you go away right now. It's our girl time._

**I'm not leaving, I just got here. And besides, you're talking about me. I think I should be allowed-**

_You have no place in this conversation, Mr. Castingson. Now away with you!_

**Only if Ella's coming with.**

Ok!

_No! That defeats the whole purpose!_

_**What's going on here?**_

_Oh, not you too, James!_

… _**No, seriously. Orion, we need you at practise. It's not over yet…**_

**You'll do fine without me-**

Stop using this for your mundane conversations! This is for special- stuff only!

_Since when is hearing about your snogfests special?_

Yeah, they make everyone ill.

_**Oi, Al, get back on the pitch! Practise is not over!**_

You and Orion left, so everyone else did, too…

_Haha! James is funny when he says "Oi"… _

Why is it so funny?

Blimey, you lot, give me my journal back! See if you ever write in here again!

* * *

**Please review! I would love to know what you think of my story! All _Harry Potter_ characters belong to JK Rowling. All other characters (Ella, Mae, etc.) are mine.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

April went by in a blur of spending a lot of time with Will. Soon May came, my favourite month because of my name being Mae. Then came June, and with it, the last days of my fifth year at Hogwarts.

On the last day, I packed up and met with Will. We planned on being in the same compartment on the train because we wanted to see each other as much as we could before we left for the summer. We ended up in a compartment with Orion and Ella, but when they spent the first ten minutes eating each other's faces, we decided to leave.

Somehow, we found an empty compartment. Almost right away, Will leaned over and kissed me. I still got butterflies.

We were not left alone for long, of course. Ella came bouncing in, wondering where we'd gone, Rose came in saying something about learning during the summer, and James was looking for Orion. Ella happily directed him back to their compartment, but she was soon back because with James there they couldn't snog, so what was the point?

Then Will said he was going to visit his friends, but he promised to be right back. While he was gone, Al came into our compartment. He had a strange expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing," he mumbled.

"It's not good to keep things bottled up," I informed him.

He gave me the most penetrating look. "You have no idea."

I furrowed my brow, confused by his attitude. I didn't want to start another row, so I said nothing.

"Goodness, you're in a foul mood," Rose said. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Claire and I… broke up," he finally said.

Rose went into her cousin-but-almost-a-sister mode, trying to comfort and encourage him. The strange thing was, he didn't look upset, exactly. It was more disappointment. Another thing was that he kept glancing at me, like he was expecting a reaction. I pretended I didn't see. When Will came back, Al said something about it being too crowded and left.

When we got to Platform 9¾, my parents were right there, ready for hugs. I was happy to see them. After I was welcomed home, I introduced them to Will. I was somewhat nervous, but he charmed them both. I told them I'd be right back, and Will and I left to meet his parents. They weren't there yet, so Will pulled me aside and kissed me again.

Will's parents still weren't there yet and I heard my own parents calling, so I said goodbye. He watched me leave through the crowd. I kept turning around until I finally couldn't see him anymore. I will miss him greatly, I thought to myself.

The strange thing was that I found I didn't miss him. I didn't know why. I asked Rose and Ella for their opinions, and they didn't understand it, either. So one day I got up the courage to write him a letter about how I felt. Layla flew back into my room with a reply a few days later. Will sounded heartbroken and I felt awful, but it was the truth. I didn't know if he'd hate me later or want to be friends. After many tries, I sent a reply and then left to spend the day with Ella.

* * *

In July my family and I visited some American cousins, and in August I was mostly at home, glad to be back after such a long trip. Suddenly it was time to go to Diagon Alley for supplies. I was looking forward to seeing everyone, as Ella was the only one I'd been able to visit over the summer holiday.

As always with the Potter and Weasley families, greetings involved crushing hugs and exclamations over how all of us were growing up. But then I saw Al. He had been the same height as me for awhile, but now I had to look up a bit at him. His shoulders and chest were broader, and his facial features were more defined.

A strange feeling came over me. I found myself a little afraid to talk to him. He was so different! But as soon as he opened his mouth, he was the same old Al, except with a slightly deeper voice.

Sometime in the middle of shopping, I saw a familiar sight: Will. He was with a woman who seemed to be his mother, and they were leaving a shop and coming our way. Wanting to know how he felt, I waited for him to see me. He finally did, giving me a look that combined sadness and anger. I sighed.

"Wasn't that Will just now?" Al asked.

"Yeah," I said, turning my back on the direction Will had gone.

"Why didn't he say hi or something?"

"He's probably really mad at me."

"Why?"

"Because… I sort of ended it," I said after a moment.

"You did?" Al sounded shocked.

"Yeah, didn't I tell you? Oh, I guess I didn't, now that I think on it…"

"When did this happen?"

"Um, late June, I think," I said.

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry to hear it," Al said, not sounding very sorry.

"Thanks, but I'm fine," I said, continuing my shopping.

Later, we all went to a restaurant to eat and talk. Well, except for Orion and Ella. They mostly snogged.

Al was rather quiet. However, it wasn't the usual brooding quiet; it was more of a comfortable silence. A few times, when I looked at him, he smiled quickly and seemed to turn red, but I couldn't tell for sure.

The next week went by quickly and it was September 1st, time for my sixth year at Hogwarts. As time went by, I became more confused at what was going on between Al and me. It felt like the line between friends and more-than-friends was blurring.

I felt this way particularly strongly one day in late September at a Quidditch game. It was Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, the biggest rivals at the school. It was a really close, really tense game. In the midst if it, I realized how much I kept my eyes on Al. Usually I watched the main action, but this time I kept missing great plays.

The score was tied, but as I watched, I knew Al had seen it. He dived and came extremely close to the ground, at the last minute pulling up. He sailed around in a victory lap, waving something in his hand. I saw the sun shining on the Golden Snitch. The crowd of Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws went wild while the Slytherins booed and scowled.

Everyone poured onto the pitch. Al was being lifted on the shoulders of his teammates, beaming. When they put him down, I raced over and gave him a congratulatory hug.

"That was brilliant!" I shouted over the noise of the crowd.

"Thanks," he grinned.

That's when it got really awkward for some reason that I didn't understand. I couldn't tell if the redness in both of our cheeks was because of the excitement of the game or something else.

"I'll meet you back at the common room," Al said finally. I nodded and left to find Rose or Ella.

That sort of thing kept happening, and, although I tried to act normal, I was finding it difficult to keep things as they were before. For example, one day at dinner we both reached for the same food and our hands bumped. I laughed and said, "Oops, sorry," like I would have if it was anyone else, but I was really wondering why it made me feel tingly. Another time, Al told me he had a dream about me.

"Really?" I asked, immensely curious. This might be a clue as to what was going on. "What happened?"

"You and me and Ella and Rose were playing Quidditch, and we beat James and Orion's arses," Al said.

We both laughed, but for awhile after that, Al was staring off into the distance as if he was thinking hard about something. I felt like he'd lied about his dream, but how was I to know?

Later that day I walked into the common room to find Ella and Orion sitting at a table, _not snogging_. Ella looked up when she heard me come in and said, "I discovered something wonderful! I like Wizard's chess!"

"You only just now found out about Wizard's chess?" I asked, very surprised.

"No, I knew about it before, I just didn't know I'd like it!" she explained, returning to the game.

"Wow," I said as I watched Ella concentrating hard on what to move next. I got tired of watching them sit there, so I left to entertain myself with something else.

The next day Ella told me how Orion and she had bonded over Wizard's chess, and how much more she liked him now.

"That's good," I said, only partly listening. I was engrossed in thinking about Al's behaviour. He was focusing most of his attention solely on me, or at least that's what it felt like. Then there was the bigger question of whether I was actually falling for my best friend. I was confused.

One day in mid-October, Al and I were partners in Potions class. I was so preoccupied with analyzing his every word and action that I almost put the wrong ingredient in the mixture.

"Mae, wait!" Al exclaimed, grabbing my wrist before I poured it in. "That doesn't come yet," he said.

"Oh, whoops," I blushed at my clumsiness. "Well, that would've been really bad."

"Yeah, it would've," he looked relieved at avoiding the near-disaster. He still had a hold on my wrist.

"Um, you can let go now, Al," I said, getting that tingly feeling again.

"Oh, right." He dropped my arm quickly and looked at me out of the corner of his eye. When I met his gaze, he reddened and went back to his work.

* * *

Finally, I asked Rose and Ella about it as we were studying in the common room. "Have you guys noticed Al acting a little different?"

Ella's head shot up suddenly. Her chocolate brown eyes sparkled suspiciously.

"No, not at all," Rose said without looking up from her essay. "Why?"

"Well, he just seems like he's acting weird around me. I didn't know if he was doing that to everyone," I answered.

"I haven't noticed anything," Rose maintained, looking me in the eye. Ella seemed like she was about to burst.

"Alright, what is it?" I asked after a moment.

"Mae, you're so stupid sometimes," she said.

"Ella," Rose warned.

"No! I'm telling her because at the rate she's going, she'll never get it!"

"Get what?" I was confused.

"Exactly my point," Ella said. "Mae, it's really obvious that Al fancies you."

"What? No he doesn't," I said, although my stomach flipped and I was blushing. I looked to Rose, thinking she'd deny Ella's statement. She said nothing.

"Of course he does. Everyone can tell," Ella nodded, knowingly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I huffed, leaving them so I could ponder this news. How did I know she wasn't making it up? All the thinking and studying was getting ridiculous, and it was building a wall between Al and me. I decided to assume it was like it always had been: we were really good friends.

That didn't last long, however. Only one week later, I was certain I fancied Al, and I wanted to know if the feelings were mutual. I was determined to unlock the mystery.

That night, I reread the poem Al gave me on Valentine's Day in fifth year. It was all about the beauty of nature. He'd written about snow-covered mountains, new buds on trees, green meadows, and deep forests. Then at the end, it said:

_And all of nature pales, white as a dove,_

_When I compare it to the beauty of the girl I love._

When I'd first read it, I knew he said he'd written it for me. What I didn't realize was that it was _about_ me. He'd been working on it in fourth year, I recalled, and gave it to me in fifth year. If he'd felt strongly about me then, no wonder he'd seemed disappointed in my lack of a reaction. But it didn't mean he still liked me now.

I had to ask him how he felt; I needed to know. The wondering and guessing had to end. Al was alone in the common room when I got up the courage. "Al, I want to ask you something."

"Sure, go ahead."

"How do you feel about me?" I asked outright.

Al went pale. "You really want to know?"

"Yes."

"Alright," Al sighed. "Wait here a moment." He went to the boys' dormitory and returned holding a book, which he handed to me.

"What's this?"

"Your answer."

"Is this a journal?"

"Yes, just read it."

"Are you sure?"

Al nodded, giving me a small smile. Then he left me standing alone in the common room, staring at the book in my hand.

* * *

**Please review! All _Harry Potter_ characters belong to JK Rowling. All other characters (Ella, Mae, etc.) are mine.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

I sat on my bed and opened to the first page. It was the day before the first day of first year. He talked about how he was really nervous and so on. In the next entry, he talked about meeting Ella and me. There weren't many entries from our first two years at Hogwarts, and then around third year, he began to get more detailed. He wrote about the Hogsmede trip around Halloween when I'd gotten frightened and clung to his arm, and how it'd made him happy. He didn't know why.

Fourth year was full of nasty comments directed towards James. He went on about how James was a terrible match for me, and how he was glad James ignored me, even though it made me upset. He was so jealous!

The beginning of fifth year was relief that I didn't like James anymore, followed by more anger at James for not leaving me alone. Then there was an entry from the night James tried to kiss me under the mistletoe. It read:

_Orion just told me that Mae snogged James tonight under some mistletoe. Why did mum have to put mistletoe all over? How could my own brother snog my best friend? And how could she do this to me? I don't feel like writing anymore._

The next day said:

_She didn't snog him! I should've known she wouldn't do something like that. I shouldn't listen to Orion._

I felt awful for not knowing half the things he wrote about. I had been so blind to his feelings. I read on and found the entry from last Valentine's Day.

_I can't believe it! I was so close to telling her how I felt, but then Ella came and ruined everything. She was right there, we were alone, she read my poem… I can't tell her now. The perfect moment I've been waiting for is gone. Ahh! I'm so stupid! She kept saying how cold she was- I could've used that as an excuse to casually put my arm around her… Idiot!_

He ranted for awhile. Then it said:

_Just gave her the necklace I bought her in Hogsmede. She loved it. I might've told her then, but she looked sort of uncomfortable. I just couldn't do it. Oh well. I suppose I can wait a bit longer._

Later, Al briefly mentioned how James wasn't obsessed with me anymore. Then came the row:

_Thursday_

_Mae met some bloke named William and she's gone head over heels for him. She just met him, for Merlin's sake! She says she's not going out with him, but I saw the two of them give each other "the look." Then we had a row. Well, it was mostly me yelling at her. But I'm too angry to feel bad right now._

_Friday_

_I didn't talk to Mae all day, and she still forgave me. I feel a little better now, but she still thinks we're just friends. I sort of said it was alright for her to like Will. I could've told her then, too, but of course I didn't. I fear that now I won't be able to. I suppose I've made the choice between hurting Mae by making her uncomfortable or hurting myself. It's not her fault at all for causing me pain. I shouldn't have told her that- er, yelled that at her. Although I don't think she knew what I meant. _

_Saturday_

_I saw Mae and "him" out walking today. And when she came back in she told Ella and Rose all about it. I suspect she still is; I left after she said they had a study date in the library. What's so great about "him" anyway?_

_Sunday_

_This morning "he" whisked Mae away while we were going to the Great Hall. She didn't come to breakfast, so I went to see what happened. Mae never misses breakfast unless she's ill. It's her favourite meal, and she always wakes up hungry. I know. She's told me before. Because I'm her best mate and not the "gallant" Will, as I've heard her say. I don't take her on breakfast picnics and then snog her in the corridor. I know this because I saw them. I didn't really mean to, and I wish I hadn't. _

_You see, I was minding my own business of seeing where Mae had gone off to when I heard them talking. Then there was a pause- a long pause with no walking- so I looked and saw him kiss her. It felt like I was punched in the gut. I could feel anger boiling in me and it was like I was paralyzed. I was angrier than I was when I yelled at her on Thursday. It was a bit frightening, actually, when I think back on it. But at the time I just wanted to smash something, namely "him."_

_I came back here and my fury left suddenly. I feel very tired right now. It's hard to keep the biggest secret of my life from the very person I want to tell so badly. But I won't because she's so happy right now. That's the very important thing. I kind of wish, though, that he'd break her heart and she'd cry and I could hold her and make everything alright… That's not going to happen any time soon. I'm bracing myself to face that fact. There's a long, miserable time ahead._

I was a bit embarrassed at finding out Al had witnessed my first kiss, but mostly deeply saddened. All that time. All that time, he'd liked me. Fancied me. Maybe even loved me. And I'd had no idea. He didn't tell me because he was nervous, or, even more graciously, because he was so conscious of my feelings.

I thought on all this for a long time, and then I read on.

_Tuesday_

_I was alone with Mae for once, but then these three girls bombarded me with questions and she left. They wouldn't stop talking, and all I wanted to do was get away from them, back to Mae, where we could have peace and quiet. By the time we got back, though, I was quite angry with her for abandoning me, so I didn't want to talk to her. I came up here instead._

_Wednesday_

_April Fool's Day. What a fitting day for me, what with me being such an overall fool at life._

_Thursday_

_One of the girls who attacked me on Tuesday attacked me again, only this time she was by herself. Her name is Claire. She seems to really like me. She's alright, I guess._

_Friday_

_I have a plan. I'm going to ask Claire out. I have several reasons: one, she's very pretty and really nice; two, it'll keep my mind off Mae; three, it might even make Mae jealous. Then she'll see that she secretly likes me… Right. Well, the first two make sense, at least. _

_Saturday_

_Told Mae about wanting to ask out Claire. She was really excited, and not at all jealous. Oh, and Claire said yes._

I scanned through recounts of our days spent alternating studying with spending time with our significant others. Al seemed to really like Claire. I came to the entry from the last day of fifth year.

_It was the last day of school today. On the train Claire broke up with me. So my brilliant plan has come to an end. When I told the girls, Ella didn't really care, Rose went all sisterly on me, and Mae didn't seem happy or sad. She's still infatuated with Will. Anyway, now the whole family is staying at the Burrow for a welcome-home feast, and I decided to ask dad about Mae. He said I should talk to Uncle Ron, since that's exactly the sort of thing he went through when Aunt Hermione was just his friend. So that's what I'll do._

_Later: Just talked to Uncle Ron. He wasn't much help- he told me what I already knew, but I guess that means it still might be the right thing. He said I shouldn't do anything to jeopardize our friendship unless I know she feels the same. Which is what I'm doing. And he also said that he survived years of this same feeling, so I know I can, too. _

I read past Al's explanation of what he did over the summer, and then:

_We're meeting everyone in Diagon Alley today. I have mixed feelings about seeing her for the first time since summer holiday started. I hope she doesn't bring Will. That would be too much. Mum's calling me- time to go!_

_Later: I can barely contain my happiness right now. Firstly, Mae is even more beautiful than before. What is in that American air? Anyway, another good thing is that Will wasn't there. Know why? Because she finally dumped that stupid git! Well, actually, we did see him in Diagon Alley; that's how I found out. So now that she's not seeing him anymore, maybe she'll notice me. I mean, she notices me but I mean I want her to __notice__ me. Er, never mind. I'm off to practise Quidditch with James. Girls like athletic blokes, sometimes, don't they? Well, in any case, it can't hurt to improve, can it?_

By now I was reading rather fast, mostly scanning for my name and reading the entries that it was included in. I soon found this:

_Saturday_

_Just had our big game against Slytherin. Mae had her eyes on me the whole time. I knew more practise would work! And then, after the game, she gave me this big hug and then- well, it was kind of awkward, actually. We just stood there for a moment and then I said, "I'll meet you back at the common room," which I think she took to mean everyone but I really meant just her… _

_Thursday_

_Erg. At dinner my hand brushed Mae's and she just laughed. I was hoping she might, I don't know, suddenly come to a shocking revelation and turn to me, and we'd both lean in and… never mind._

_Tuesday_

_I had a dream about Mae last night. I told her it was about all of us playing Quidditch, but that was a lie. Want to know what I really dreamed about? Well, I'm writing it down anyway._

_In my dream, I was lying on the couch in the common room, the one next to the fireplace, and it was really dark except for the fire's glow, and no one was around. Then she came, as fair and lovely as ever. She gave me the look I've pictured in my head for years, the look I long for her to give me but she never has. The way she used to look at Will. Anyway, in my dream she gave me the sort of look that mixes wanting with something else I can't really name. And she came over to me on the couch and she bent down and her soft hair brushed my face. She was really close, and then… she kissed me. I put my arms around her and we kissed for ages. It was paradise._

_Then I woke up. I was angry. I don't know how much longer I can endure this. I'm preparing myself to tell her. I have to. Otherwise, I might explode from bottling it up for so long. I think I'll start hinting that I'm in love with her. _

_Wednesday_

_No luck._

_Thursday_

_Still no luck._

_Friday_

_We're more than a month into our sixth year at Hogwarts, and I've fancied Mae since third year, even though I didn't realize what it was until later. So far she's liked James, James liked her, she's gone out with Will, and I know for a fact that a few other blokes fancy her currently (although I rather doubt she's aware of that). I'm starting to go mad with this longing._

There were almost two weeks in which he talked about the things he'd tried in order to show me how he felt. It wasn't until recently that I'd had even a small suspicion, but I never knew it ran this deep.

_Wednesday_

_In Potions I stopped Mae from putting the wrong thing in a potion and I held her wrist for a long time and later she caught me looking at her and she made me turn red. I can't believe I could resist blushing for all this time. It's easier to just let it rise to my face instead of holding it back like I usually did. I also can't believe she still makes me blush after being friends with her for so long._

Then, to my amazement, I read something addressed to me.

_Mae:_

_Please don't think me a coward for not telling you sooner. That couldn't be further from the truth. I've been thinking of your feelings all along, preventing me from confessing. So now you know. If you don't care for me as I care for you, then I will pretend this never happened and we shall stay friends. I've kept this inside for so long, though, because I always hoped there'd be a chance you loved me, too._

* * *

**If you like the story or have a comment, please review! I would love feedback! All _Harry Potter_ characters belong to J. K. Rowling. The rest (aka Ella, Mae, and such) are mine.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

I couldn't take it anymore. I raced downstairs and found Al standing on the hearth, gazing into the fire. He turned when he heard me, looking extremely nervous. I tossed his journal onto the couch and threw my arms around his neck, sobbing.

"Why don't you hate me?" I gulped.

"What? You know I never could hate you, Mae," he said, holding me tightly about the waist. He stroked my hair until I stopped crying.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered.

"Don't be," Al murmured in my ear.

"I didn't mean to do all that to you," I said, feeling incredibly guilty.

"It's not your fault; how were you to know?"

"It should've been totally obvious to me like it was to everyone else," I answered.

"Well, now that you know, we'll both be much happier, I think," Al said cheerfully.

"But I still feel terrible," I said. "How can I ever make it up to you?"

"I think I have an idea," Al said with a sly smile. He gently tilted my face towards his and slowly leaned down. His kiss was so pure it made me want to cry again.

When he pulled away, he said softly, "I've been waiting a long time for that."

I didn't reply; I was too busy initiating a snogfest.

* * *

The next day, I didn't need to tell Ella and Rose about the profound events of the night before. They took one look at us and figured it out. There was much rejoicing from Ella.

By Saturday, nearly everyone knew Al and I had snogged. Not many were surprised. "I knew it," Orion said smugly.

"You did not," I retorted. "You don't pay attention to anyone except Ella."

"You say that like it's a bad thing…"

"Sheesh," I said to Rose one day, "it's like we're getting married or something, the way everyone is acting."

"Well…," Rose said.

"What?"

"Everyone was waiting for ages for you two to get together, and we all think you will end up getting married someday."

"Who are all these people that are suddenly so interested in my life?"

"It's mostly because Al is Harry Potter's son. It makes him a bit famous by association."

"Right. Well, I have stuff to do," I said, leaving to take a walk with Al.

During our long walk we enjoyed the last remnants of the warm October weather. Al presented me with a rose, a ribbon tied on the stem.

"Wow, Al. I didn't know you were such a romantic," I said, blushing lightly.

"Well, I am," Al shrugged. "You might have known if I'd told you sooner-"

"Let's not get into that," I interrupted. "You know I feel bad enough already."

"I'm sorry," he said. "You're right. Let's just enjoy this, right now. I don't know what will happen in the future- you know I'm awful at Divinations- but whatever it is, I hope you're there."

I smiled up at him. "I hope so, too."

* * *

**Sorry this chapter was so short. ****Please review! All _Harry Potter_ characters belong to J. K. Rowling. All other characters (Ella, Mae, and such) are mine.**


	18. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Ella and I sat together outside in the shade of the tent. Inside the large tent were people eating, talking, and laughing. We watched the Quidditch match going on, which mostly consisted of the adults trying to help the kids stay on their brooms.

The two of us, however, were lost in the past, looking at Orion and Ella's wedding album. We were reminiscing about how Ella and Orion were married two years after we left Hogwarts. We talked about how Orion had wanted to elope to Scotland, but Ella refused because she wanted her friends to be there.

So they had compromised and had a planned wedding in Scotland. It was in a big castle next to the Loch, and even Nessie showed up. Ella had told Orion that she wanted bagpipes to play the wedding march, but he said, "The only way in hell I'm having bagpipes at my wedding is if I can wear a kilt!"

So Orion wore a kilt- with nothing underneath, as the Scottish do.

Not long after that, Al and I were married. We travelled around the world before returning to England and settling down.

We laughed as we remembered it all. Closing the album book, I looked at my friend. I marveled over how everything had worked out, and now we sat here, both of us 28 years old and completely happy.

Al came over to sit by me. "Where's Emma?" I asked.

"James thinks he can teach her to fly," Al replied, rolling his eyes.

I gasped and protested, "She's only four!"

"That's alright; Orion was taking Jack up when he was three," Ella said.

"It's not safe!" I cried. "Go make him bring her back!"

I began to get up, but Al stopped me. "Stay here, with the baby," he said, referring to our son Michael, who I held in my arms.

Al left to fetch our daughter, and as soon as he left we were bombarded by Ella's sons: Jack, who was six, and Peter, who was five. "Mummy!" they cried as they rammed into her chair.

"Have you left Tristan all alone?" she asked, meaning her three-year-old son.

"He's with Daddy. Can we have some pumpkin juice?" Jack asked.

"Oh, why not; go ask Ginny, alright? Ask nicely," Ella told them.

Suddenly, a man came hurtling down from the sky. He steered his broom toward us. We screamed, and just has he was about to hit us, he turned sharply and instead flew through the tent. We heard others screaming, and a second later saw him come back around and land lightly in front of us.

"Do it again!" Tristan shouted, tumbling down from the broom.

"Orion!" Ella jumped up from her seat. I expected her to scold him, but instead she said, "That was fantastic!"

"Ella!" I gave her a look and got up to see if Tristan was alright.

"I mean, don't do that," Ella said, pretending to be mad.

Everyone around us was either laughing or, as most of the mothers were doing, shaking their heads and keeping an eye on Tristan. A moment later, everyone returned to their various activities.

I strode towards them, giving Orion a disapproving look. I knelt down, carefully holding my infant son in one arm, and helped Tristan stand up with the other. He had fallen down in his excitement. I knelt to his eye level and checked to be sure he wasn't hurt. He was fine, just very, very hyper.

A moment later, Al landed his broom with Emma on board. "Mama!" she cried, stumbling off the broom and running toward me. She threw her little arms around my neck and gave me a slobbery kiss on the cheek.

"Are you alright?" I asked, brushing her curly blondish-brown hair out of her eyes with my free hand. Emma nodded, a bright smile on her face. I smiled back, relieved. Al helped me stand up.

"Let me take Michael," Al offered. I carefully handed him our baby, and I watched as the tenderness surfaced in my husband's face. I couldn't have asked for a better father to my children. I reached up and planted a kiss on his cheek. Al smiled down at me.

"Mama?" Emma tugged at my blouse.

"Yes?" I answered, picking her up.

"I'm hungry," she said, looking toward the table filled with food.

"What do you want to eat?"

But before she answered, a very pregnant Rose cried, "Wait, don't move!" She was holding up a camera. "I want a picture of you four," she said.

Al put his free arm around my waist, then reached around and playfully tickled Emma. She shrieked and threw her head back with laughter. Rose quickly took the picture, grinning.

Rose's husband joined us and gave Rose a hug from behind. Ella and Orion wandered over, with their boys following while somehow wrestling each other at the same time. Then someone decided to take a picture of all of us. James hurried over with his fiancée, Erin, not wanting to be left out. Rose's camera was handed to Ginny, who told us all to smile. But we didn't need to be told- we already were.

* * *

**So there you have it! I'm considering adding a sort of sequel about what happened during seventh year, since the story (before the epilogue) ends in sixth year. Please tell me what you think in a _review_! I would love to know your opinion about that and about the story in general.**

**Of course, all _Harry Potter_ characters belong to J. K. Rowling. Everyone else (Ella, Mae, etc.) is mine.**


End file.
